The heat in the Bay Area is unusual, there was at least one day in the last week where San Francisco had a hotter high temperature than Phoenix. With at least 2/3rd of BART's track being at grade or elevated, they are justified in their caution.
Weather here is SoCal has been a bit different as well, outdoor thermometer was showing 88F at 4AM. This made me wonder if the outdoor sender was broken, but NWS website showed a nearby station reporting the same thing. FWIW, temp at 11AM was 78F.
Weleded rail is a technology that has yet to be fully mastered through wide ranging weathter conditions - without operational restrictions during the extremes.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Now BART has to slow trains in outlying areas due to possible heat related rail problems.
Release Date: 9/1/2017
As a precaution against potential rail movement, BART will be reducing speeds between noon and 8 p.m. on most outdoor parts of the system for the duration of this regional heat wave. Riders should anticipate travel time increases of 10 to 20 minutes.
BART is taking this unusual step in response to the extreme temperatures forecast for the Bay Area over the next several days. BART rail is heat-treated prior to installation, which allows for thermal expansion and contraction of the rail in the Bay Area’s widely varying temperatures.
However, when actual temperature variations reach extreme levels, the thermal forces exerted on the rail increase, making it possible—though unlikely—that there could be some rail movement. Train speeds are being reduced in targeted parts of the system as a precautionary measure to give Train Operators more time to react to any observed abnormal rail conditions.
BART anticipates these reduced speeds to be in effect through at least Sunday, though the final decision on the duration of these changes will be based on weather forecasts and observed track conditions on the BART system.
As a reminder, BART crews will be rebuilding trackway in downtown Oakland during Labor Day weekend from the end of service on Friday through Monday, to make the system safer, quieter, and more reliable. No trains will run between 19th Street and Fruitvale stations or between West Oakland and Fruitvale stations and Lake Merritt station will be closed. Riders on the Warm Springs/So. Fremont, Dublin/Pleasanton, and Oakland Airport lines will be impacted.
BART crews cannot complete these critical trackway repairs during the overnight hours when we are normally closed for maintenance, which is why we require this extra time. For more information on the track closure, please visit: http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2017/news20170814
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