Heat restrictions?

[MARC Rider]

So I'm driving to the station this morning, and I get a text from Amtrak advising me of reduced speeds on my 9 AM trip Baltimore to DC due to heat restrictions. I looked at the outside temperature display on my dashboard, and the temperature as 67 F! A little cool for heat restrictions, I would think. Forecast for today is a high of 79 with off and on rain.

 

[railiner]

Perhaps they just issue this notice nationally, even if it doesn’t apply to your specific route?

Not sure…

 

[MARC Rider]

Well, I'm on the train now. We blew through Halethorpe at 120 mph, and usually we don't go faster than 100.

 

[jis]

Well, I'm on the train now. We blew through Halethorpe at 120 mph, and usually we don't go faster than 100.

Goes to show that the broken passenger annunciation system does not determine the actual operative speed limits

 

[PVD]

High temperatures may require trains to operate at lower speeds. Please plan ahead as delays are possible.

Generic warning towards the top of the Amtrak web site landing page. Not specific to any train, but we are getting into the season where they start to occur on a regular basis.

 

[Shanson]

I'm seeing that the Adirondack is being terminated at Sarasota Springs again, soon. Heat effects on track caused this last year as well.

 

[jis]

I'm seeing that the Adirondack is being terminated at Sarasota Springs again, soon. Heat effects on track caused this last year as well.

The service suspension is not due to heat restrictions or anything like that. It is possibly due to embargo for track work on the CN segment in Canada

 

[MARC Rider]

I'm seeing that the Adirondack is being terminated at Sarasota Springs again, soon. Heat effects on track caused this last year as well.

"Sarasota" Springs? That's quite a train route, New York to Montreal via the Florida Gulf coast.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Trying to get a sense of when/how heat speed restrictions are imposed, ahead of my trip to DC this weekend. I will just expound and allow wiser heads to weigh in. One source I read says that restrictions are mainly in place from 1 to 7 pm and generally when temps are flexing into the higher levels, more so than when they are consistently high. Maybe I interpreted that wrong, and I am sure there are many different ways of thinking on this by each railroad. My riding will be primarily on CSX, which if memory serves tends to be more strict on this than other railroads. I am thinking I need to make a decision by Wednesday to postpone, mainly due to the 48 hour cancellation policy for my hotel.