Amtrak warned that high temperatures could force Northeast Corridor trains to be delayed by up to an hour until Sunday night.
Extreme heat has hit the Midwest and Northeast this week, with temperatures reaching triple digits on the East Coast on Saturday and Sunday.
High temperatures cause steel rails to expand, increasing the risk of derailments or other rail failures. Reducing train speeds ensures safety.
The company said delays would ease and end around 7:30 p.m. as temperatures cooled.
Similar delays are also common on commuter rail and metro services. The Washington Metro slow trains from a maximum of 65 mph to 35 mph due to the heat, causing slow service.
The heat wave is expected to continue this week, the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts, with temperatures in the 90s forecast for much of the East Coast.
The Southeast, Central-South and Plain regions will see the peak of the heat wave this coming week, with the possibility of temperatures exceeding 110 degrees on some days, according to the NWS.
AccuWeather meteorologists also predicted the heat wave would cool across much of the Northeast on Sunday but could bring thunderstorms.
“This change in pattern will first lead to an increase in thunderstorm activity in the Northeast and Midwest,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.
“The coldest air will plunge into New England first, while the worst of the heat will be squeezed into the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast,” he added.
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