ROANOKE, Va. – Amtrak passengers traveling through Roanoke this weekend faced significant delays after extreme heat forced trains to operate at reduced speeds — a safety measure designed to protect rails from buckling under the sweltering temperatures.
Amanda Stellwag, an Amtrak traveler, said she learned about the slowdown shortly after boarding.
“When I got onto the train they announced that they were going to be delayed and that we could only go 25 miles an hour on the train because of the heat, so all in all... I was about an hour and 40 minutes delayed,” Stellwag said.
Stellwag said she wasn’t entirely surprised, given how hot it was that day.
“And I knew that that day Wednesday, when I was leaving, it was going to reach up to temperatures of like 102. Wow. So it makes sense that there might have been some delays because of the heat,” she said.
What causes heat-related train delays?
Along the railroad tracks in Roanoke, the weekend’s extreme heat prompted trains to slow down as a precaution against what’s known as a “sun kink.”
According to a Norfolk Southern train conductor, it’s the rails — not the trains — that are the primary concern. As steel rails heat up, they expand. Combined with the weight of passing trains, that expansion can cause tracks to shift or buckle. Slowing trains down reduces that risk.
Passengers want more transparency
While Stellwag said the safety reasoning makes sense, she wants Amtrak to do a better job communicating with riders in real time — including how much longer trips will take and whether air conditioning will be affected.
“It could have mentioned that they were going to go 25 miles an hour or even at least a lot slower than the expected normal time,” she said.
She also raised concerns about vulnerable passengers who may be more susceptible to heat.
“I also think that if there were any problems with the air conditioning in the cars, that Amtrak would either let the passengers know which cars were impacted... Because that way it’ll maybe prevent certain people who are impacted by heat, such as elderly or children, to be prepared,” Stellwag said.