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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
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  • Climate and Environment
    Lookout for sun kinks
    Heat related train delays are possible
    By  Jacob Margolis
    Published September 6, 2024 1:37 PM

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    A person sits at a control panel with their back to the camera as we see train tracks running in the middle of a main roadway out the front window.
    A Metro train operator behind the controls on a street-running section of the K Line on Crenshaw Boulevard.
    (
    Courtesy L.A. Metro
    )

    Topline:

    As temperatures climb to 118 degrees in some SoCal areas, several L.A. Metro buses have overheated and train tracks across the region are at risk of warping. In response, Metrolink has stepped up inspections to catch "sun kinks," which can be dangerous for trains to pass over.

    Fixing the tracks: If a track does kink, workers will wait until later in the day when temperatures cool down to replace it.

    Delays possible: When temperatures are high, operators will run trains 10 to 30 mph slower than usual to keep tracks from overheating. L.A. Metro said that they're running the light rail 10 mph slower to avoid issues with overhead wires and power systems.

    Go deeper: Painting train tracks white and installing enhanced monitoring techniques are both being explored to help address the effects of extreme heat, which are becoming more common as the climate continues to change.

    Topline:

    As temperatures climb to 118 degrees in some SoCal areas, several L.A. Metro buses have overheated and train tracks across the region are at risk of warping. In response, Metrolink has stepped up inspections to catch "sun kinks," which can be dangerous for trains to pass over.

    Delays possible: When temperatures are high, operators will run trains 10 to 30 mph slower than usual to keep tracks from overheating. L.A. Metro said they're running the light rail 10 mph slower to avoid issues with overhead wires and power systems.

    Fixing the tracks: If a track does kink, workers will often wait until later in the day when temperatures cool down to replace it.

    Go deeper: Painting train tracks white and installing enhanced monitoring techniques are both being explored to help address the effects of extreme heat, which are becoming more common as the climate continues to change.
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