Extreme Heat Causing Lansdale/Doylestown SEPTA Line Delays

LANSDALE, PA — Extreme heat this week is took its toll on SEPTA's regional rail lines, with significant delays reported in Montgomery County on both the Manayunk/Norristown line and the Lansdale/Doylestown line, among others.

Things were returning to normal by later Wednesday into a cooler Thursday, with a forecasted high of "only" 91 expected after several days breaching 100 degrees. But some issues persisted.

"Extreme heat affects our infrastructure in specific ways, including our track, overhead wires, signal systems, and switches," SEPTA shared in a statement.

Even 90 degrees is enough to require the transit system to limit their maximum speed in order to limit the total stress on their infrastructure.

The afternoon, the hottest and also the busiest part of the day, is likely to see the most issues, SEPTA said.

Once the temperature reaches 95 degrees, SEPTA says they conduct mandatory track inspections to evaluate overall stress.

"The result is that our services may be running more slowly than normal, but the safety or our customers and employees is always our first priority – even if it means longer than normal wait and travel times," they added. "SEPTA understands that unanticipated delays are frustrating – they’re frustrating to us, too."

While Thursday will remain hot, Montgomery County residents and SEPTA's regional infrastructure alike will get a break on Friday, as a storm will bring cooler temperatures over the next several days. However, humidity will remain high and periods between storms are likely to still have a high heat index.