How Extreme Heat Impacts Transit

Delays on Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) trains last week were potentially caused by heat, reports Zaeem Shaikh in The Dallas Morning News. “DART spokesman Gordon Shattles said that a damaged overhead catenary line near the station was to blame, and that it was harmed by the excessive heat.”

According to Shaikh, “The damaged line caused delays throughout the central business district, he said, and shuttle buses and a train shuttle are in place for passengers.” Service was back on track on Wednesday. 

As Shaikh explains, “Catenary lines are a system of overhead wires used to supply electricity to the light rail vehicles, which are equipped with a pantograph. The pantograph, attached to the roof of the vehicle, presses against the underside of the lowest overhead wire, the contact wire, according to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.”

The implications for public transit as extreme heat becomes more common could be vast. In New Jersey, a similar problem has been affecting NJ Transit and Amtrak trains, stopping trains and delaying thousands of commuters.