As the second heat wave this month scorches large swaths of the United States, the country’s rail networks are confronting a little-known strain: the limits of metal tracks under siege from the sun.
Rail operators are adjusting accordingly. A Pennsylvania transit agency has begun reducing speeds by as much as 10 miles per hour along certain corridors, while one operating in New York and Connecticut has imposed a 70-mile-per-hour cap — measures likely to trigger delays for commuters and summer travelers alike.
