A Global Warming Bonus: Train Fires, Derailments, Warped And Collapsing Tracks, Shutdowns
On June 26, as a potent heat wave settled over Europe, atmospheric scientist Patrik Winiger also settled into his seat aboard a high-speed electric train traveling from Zurich to Amsterdam. The heat, which would soon topple temperature records across the continent, began to stress the sleek Deutsche Bahn train.
First, the fast-moving German train slowed down. Then, a conductor announced that the train would need to take an extended rest at the next station because the engines were overheating. But before the train even reached the station, it stopped in the middle of the tracks. Inside the halted cars, the AC maxed out and the temperature rose. After a 15-minute breather, the cars again crept forward into the shaded refuge of the Frankfurt airport station. Perhaps the train would cool off, and things would improve. They didn't. "Just when [the train] was about to roll out there was a harsh stop," recounted Winiger. "There was another announcement saying 'there's a train ahead of us on fire.'"
Winiger's experience showcased the "classic problems" of modern railcars succumbing to heat stress, explained Andrew Quinn, a civil engineer at the University of Birmingham who researches the impacts of climate change on infrastructure, particularly railroads. "In extreme conditions you're going to stress all the motors, the AC, and control systems," Quinn said.
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Critically, the hot weather doesn't just stress modern, high-tech trains. It can weaken and distort the steel rails — a notorious detriment to trains. When it starts getting really hot, the track essentially gets softer, explained Chinowsky. So when a heavy rail car moves over the tracks, it pushes the pliable rail down and out. "It causes the rails to warp," he said. These warps, also known as buckling or sunkinks, can range from small to extreme, turning rail into wavy, serpentine-like tracks. "It’s kind of scary when you look at it," noted Chinowsky. Running over buckled tracks can easily derail a train, he said. It's easy to see why.
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https://mashable.com/article/train-tracks-climate-change-warping/