Since July 25, prolonged high temperatures have affected many regions, including southern North China, Huanghuai, Jianghan, eastern Sichuan Basin and Guanzhong in Shaanxi. Persistent heat can cause thermal expansion and deformation of rails, posing serious challenges to track safety and stability.
In response, local railway authorities have strictly enforced the "zero-report" policy for thermal expansion, deployed professional patrol teams, and strengthened inspection and monitoring at vulnerable key locations. Rail temperature is continuously tracked using temperature monitoring instruments and intelligent inspection systems, with dynamic and static data compared in real-time to accurately detect expansion risks. For high-speed railways with continuous ballastless tracks, emphasis is placed on early warning analysis and rectification of expansion plates to maintain track structure stability.
Infrastructure departments have proactively enhanced anti-expansion capabilities through preventive maintenance such as ballast leveling, gap adjustment, and fastener tightening, optimizing the rail stress state. Strict control is maintained on rail welding temperature windows for seamless tracks, with large-scale maintenance operations scheduled outside high-temperature periods. Long welded rails awaiting replacement are reinforced and subjected to increased patrol frequency to prevent expansion-induced track misalignment at the source.
Currently, railway units continue to conduct special anti-expansion training and emergency drills. Contingency plans have been refined, and stockpiled materials for anti-expansion operations are systematically managed and regularly maintained. Once any signs of rail expansion are detected, immediate and effective action is taken. Through a comprehensive defense chain of "monitoring and early warning, precision maintenance and emergency response," railway departments have built a multi-layered anti-expansion safety system to ensure the safe operation of trains during high-temperature conditions.
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