Record-setting heat warped a short stretch of CapMetro railroad. Here's what we know.
This summer's record-setting heat wave has led to a "sun kink" in a portion of the Austin region's railroad tracks, leading officials to make temporary service changes.
Earlier this month, a short stretch of Capital Metro's Red Line — a 32-mile passenger rail service running from downtown Austin to Leander — bowed because of the heat, a result that could cause a derailment if unaddressed.
On Aug. 5, a train operator noticed the railroad lines near Cherrywood Road and Clarkson Avenue were askew and came to a stop before crossing. The term "sun kink" is transit vernacular for when heat bends, warps or distorts rail tracks.
The train finished its route, moving at a slower pace over the affected rails. For later trips, passengers were bused between stations.
Officials with Herzog Transit Services, a heavy rail contractor with which CapMetro has a 10-year service contract for work pertaining to the Red Line, completed repairs to the affected rail later that evening, according to Tawaun Cole, a CapMetro spokesperson.
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CapMetro, according to an online blog published Thursday on the matter, slows its trains down as a precaution when the rails reach 135 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Other transportation agencies in the country are slowing down their trains as a result of the heat as well, including in Dallas, Florida, the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington, D.C.
Temperatures in Austin have consecutively reached triple digits since July 9, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Because of the heat, Union Pacific has been monitoring rails for heat kinks but so far has not had any issues, according to Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific spokesperson.
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In the blog, CapMetro encouraged its customers to receive updates about services — including notification for when trains are running more than five minutes behind schedule — by signing up for email or text message service alerts and monitoring status updates posted at each rail station.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: CapMetro finds 'sun kink' in railroad for its passenger train service
