Staying Weather Aware At All Times

Extreme temperatures, both cold and heat, can cause railroad tracks to crack and buckle. The weight of passing trains on pre-existing weak spots can result in train derailments. Current industry practices include track inspections to identify issues preemptively and speed restrictions during extreme temperature conditions to reduce derailment severity. Temperature modeling and decision support tools can support railroad maintenance in prioritizing critical corridors based on past and future temperature extremes to highlight system resilience. These same tools can support operational decision-making for where slower train speeds would be prudent given extreme temperature conditions.