Rails Reach 60 Degrees: HŽ Intensifies Track Monitoring
Extreme heat can cause track deformation, and temporary speed restrictions are in effect, leading to train delays.
Extreme heat can cause track deformation, and temporary speed restrictions are in effect, leading to train delays.
Due to the prolonged heat wave affecting Croatia, HŽ Infrastruktura has intensified monitoring of railway tracks across the country. High air temperatures, and even more so the temperatures of the rails themselves, pose a risk of track deformation, which directly impacts the safety and regularity of rail traffic.
From HŽ Infrastruktura, they explained to Hina that rails are made of steel, which expands when heated. Because today's rails are mostly welded into a single piece, thermal expansion causes significant internal forces. Combined with other adverse factors, this can, in exceptional cases, lead to track deformation.
Particularly concerning is the fact that the rail temperature in direct sunlight can be significantly higher than the air temperature, exceeding 60 degrees Celsius. Although there is no single threshold temperature at which deformation occurs, the risk increases proportionally with rising temperatures and depends on the overall technical condition of the track.
To ensure the safety of passengers and cargo, enhanced monitoring is carried out during periods of extreme temperatures. If any irregularity is detected, safety measures are immediately introduced. "Most often, this involves temporary speed restrictions or closing the track until the defect is resolved," they state from HŽ Infrastruktura. Such measures, although preventive and standard, can cause train delays.
The company did not single out new problem areas but noted that deformations are more common on sections that have not recently been modernized, although they can occur on any track.
The heat wave also affects the organization of works on railway infrastructure. More physically demanding tasks are now carried out during cooler parts of the day, primarily to protect workers' health. When installing rails, special attention is paid to their temperature during welding, and everything is done in accordance with internal regulations and technical specifications.
HŽ Infrastruktura emphasizes that the safety of passengers and cargo always has absolute priority, and all measures taken are a standard part of protocols for maintaining the stability of rail traffic in extreme weather conditions.
