Summer has finally arrived in the Northwest (at least for a day or
two), with temperatures expected in the mid-90's + here in Portland.
Therefore, Tri-Met has put out the word
that its vaunted light rail lines will be...um...delayed. You see, the
fixed-rail systems that they've spent billions of dollars on don't work
all that well in the heat.
Heat causes the rails to expand, and it also causes the aerial power lines that feed the trains' pantagraphs to sag. This means that they have to go vewy, vewy slowly in order to avoid derailments or other damage to "infrastructure".
Buses don't have such issues, but there are two big problems with them: they aren't cool, and they're inexpensive. Tri-Met, which has morphed from a transit agency into a development agency, hates buses.
http://maxredline.typepad.com/maxredline/2012/08/heat-wave.html
Heat causes the rails to expand, and it also causes the aerial power lines that feed the trains' pantagraphs to sag. This means that they have to go vewy, vewy slowly in order to avoid derailments or other damage to "infrastructure".
Buses don't have such issues, but there are two big problems with them: they aren't cool, and they're inexpensive. Tri-Met, which has morphed from a transit agency into a development agency, hates buses.
http://maxredline.typepad.com/maxredline/2012/08/heat-wave.html
3 comments:
Buses don't have problems with heat? Not true, they overheat and break down in the middle of Sylvan Hill and other handy places. Hot weather doesn't care who you are.
Trimet buses seem to have the problem, but somehow they don't have that problem in states Like Texas, Arizona,even NY?
I saw two (2) buses yesterday with the rear engine-doors up..passengers in one of the buses sitting inside..I guessed to stay out of the sun. No supervisor on scene; I hoped they were not stuck too long; everyone including one of the operators, looked pretty miserable.
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