Frigid Cold Prompts Chicago To Light Its Train Tracks On Fire

As historically low temperatures sweep through much of the country, Chicago train tracks are literally being set on fire to keep the trains operating.

“Jalopnik” explains that when temperatures are below zero, “the metal of the train tracks can contract to the point that it will pull up the bolts holding it in place,” and so crews will actually burn the tracks using kerosene to warm them up. Once they’ve been heated, the tracks will “be re-bolted, or welding repairs can be affected on the broken tracks.”

The move was necessary as there are over 140,000 miles of privately owned standard-gauge rail in the United States that are vital to the transportation of billions of tons of freight and people.

In an ABC News tweet, similar burning tactics will be taken at track switching points when the mechanisms stick from the cold. Usually the rail switches have devices to keep them from freezing shut, but with weather expected to be thirteen degrees below zero, the tracks were too cold to operate properly, rendering them non-functional.

Parts of Chicago are being hit with wind chills as low as 49 degrees below zero, according to The Chicago Tribune. The temperature was predicted to dip below 27 degrees below zero, the coldest day ever recorded in Chicago’s history.

By: Maytinee Kramer