No relief in sight for commuters as 'heat timetable' continues despite the drop in temperature THE sweltering heat has eased today, but commuters could still face delays as the Metro Trains hot weather timetable remains in place. Yesterday's scorching temperatures led to 16 cancelled services, due to the impact of high temperatures on the steel railway tracks. Twice as many services have been cancelled today. The city's taxi system is likely to bear some of the commuter load. Victorian Taxi Association spokeswoman Georgia Nicholls said the changes to train timetables would have an impact on the whole transport network. Ms Nicholls said taxis were already facing stronger demand in the lead up to Christmas. "People who don't usually take taxis start to, so it becomes very busy," Ms Nicholls said. A statement from Metro Trains said the cancellations would not be reversed once they had been planned, even if the temperature fell. "Once we have made these planned cancellations, it's not possible just to reverse the decision if temperatures fall short of the forecast," the statement said. There is a lot of planning required, including the placement of trains and the number of drivers we require to service these timetable changes. Metro Trains senior media adviser Larisa Tait said there had been no additional heat-related disruptions to those announced on Tuesday. "It's because the trains are out of position as a result of yesterday's cancellations," Ms Tait said. She said normal services would resume tomorrow. The Alamein, Craigieburn, Frankston, Glen Waverley, South Morang/Hurstbridge, Belgrave/Lilydale and Pakenham/Cranbourne lines have been affected. Commuters on the Belgrave/Lilydale line are faced with the highest number of disruptions, with eight services cancelled.