CHICAGO – Using fire to maintain heat is nothing new, particularly for train tracks within the Windy City.Metra, a commuter rail system, posted a video displaying flames coming from train tracks in Chicago on Monday.
And while it may appear to be the tracks are on fire, they’re technically not.
“There are actually gas burners right next to the switches,” Michael Gillis, Director of Communications for Metra, says. “It’s like it’s like a kitchen stovetop, the gas stovetop.”
The switch heaters are situated alongside the train tracks to maintain them heated all winter long.
“We have about 500 switches in our system, and you really want to keep them warm and keep moisture out of them because you don’t want them freezing up,” Gillis said.
Doing so helps to keep the trains moving safely.
“We rely on the switches to change lanes, essentially, or across another track. And for us to operate the service we have, we need to be able to switch the train back and forth track,” Gillis said. “So, they’re there to keep the switches well and operational so that we can continue operating in our service.”
Gillis stated that the situation in the video is unique because of how many gas burners are at that particular location. And while the efficiency is there, not all train tracks in the Chicagoland area have them.
