When Heat, Heavy Cars, and Aging Track Converge

Risks

Railroads have always dealt with infrastructure challenges. Heat causes rail expansion. Heavy axle loads accelerate wear. Aging bridges require maintenance. Deferred capital projects eventually come due. None of these realities is new. What is changing is how quickly a localized infrastructure issue can cascade into a service problem that affects customers, operations, and revenue.

The most successful railroads increasingly view infrastructure reliability as a business-risk management strategy rather than simply a maintenance responsibility.

Consider a common summer scenario. A stretch of track develops elevated compressive stress during extreme heat. To reduce the risk of thermal buckling, the railroad imposes a slow order. The slow order adds transit time, affects crew utilization, disrupts switching schedules, and reduces network fluidity. A delay that begins with a few thousand feet of track can eventually affect customer loading schedules, equipment availability, and downstream deliveries.

Researchers studying the impact of extreme heat
on rail infrastructure have found that high temperatures can lead to track buckling, speed restrictions, operational delays, and increased maintenance costs.

“Extreme heat has been responsible for an average of 50 derailments annually over the past four decades in the United States.
(Jones, M. & Patel, R., 2021)

As temperatures continue to rise, railroads are expected to face increasing pressure to improve infrastructure resilience and operational reliability

Heat is only one piece of the equation.

Across North America, many regional railroads and industrial track owners are handling heavier freight traffic than their infrastructure was originally designed to accommodate. Increased car weights place greater demands on rail, ties, ballast, crossings, and bridge structures. While well-maintained infrastructure can safely accommodate these loads, deterioration accelerates when maintenance is deferred or when assets approach the end of their service lives.

The industry’s response is telling. According to Progressive Railroading’s 2026 Maintenance-of-Way Spending Report, many regional and short-line railroads are increasing infrastructure investments, with significant emphasis on continuous welded rail installation, rail replacement, tie programs, and other reliability-focused improvements. Genesee & Wyoming alone increased its infrastructure investment budget from $453 million in 2025 to $568 million in 2026, citing expanded continuous welded rail programs among its priorities. That investment reflects an important reality: railroads are not merely maintaining assets. They are protecting service reliability.