Extreme heat slows or cancels rail travel across much of the rail-reliant Northeast

Heat slows down train travel in rail-reliant East

NEWARK, N.J. — Railroad officials say extreme heat has forced delays and cancellations on heavily traveled lines in the Northeast.

Temperatures soared above 100 degrees across the region Tuesday. Such hot weather can make power lines droop and rails expand, requiring slower travel.

New Jersey Transit says its commuter trains ran 20 to 30 minutes late during Tuesday’s evening rush and some were canceled.

About 1,500 passengers on a New York-to-Trenton, N.J., train were stranded for 25 minutes when it lost power. Transit spokesman Dan Stessel says the crew restored power long enough to get the train into a station and passengers were put aboard other trains.

Amtrak says it had 15-minute delays Tuesday afternoon between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., because two commuter trains stalled due to electrical problems. A spokeswoman says it’s unknown if those problems were heat-related.