Amtrak Conductor Scolds Passengers for Calling 911 After Train Delayed 20 Hours: ‘We Are Not Holding You Hostage’
AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File
A Monday night Amtrak Auto Train trip went badly awry when stopped in the middle of the woods for hours, with dwindling food and unhappy pet owners not allowed off the train to walk their dogs, leading passengers to call 911 and the conductor insisting they were not being held hostage.
The Amtrak route is a regular nonstop from Lorton, Virginia (about 20 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.) to Sanford, Florida (about 30 minutes north of Orlando), in which passengers and their automobiles are transported overnight, leaving Monday evening around 5:00 pm ET and supposed to arrive Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET.
That did not happen.
Instead, the Amtrak train had to take a detour because a CSX freight train derailed in Lake City, South Carolina around 11 p.m. Monday after hitting a car on the tracks. According to ABC 7, CSX issued a statement saying that the derailment involved 25 cars and two locomotives but there were fortunately “no injuries to the crew of the train and no hazardous materials involved.”
Amtrak’s detour resulted in the crew timing out and the train was stopped in a rural wooded area near Denmark, South Carolina, ABC News reported. The Auto Train requires a specially certified crew to operate it, and it took hours to get qualified crew members to the area to allow the train to resume its travel south.
Meanwhile, passengers grew increasingly miserable. ABC News reporter Sam Sweeney reported that passengers were complaining there were “[n]o replacement crew,” “[n]o more meals,” “[d]ogs haven’t been allowed out to use the bathroom,” and “[n]o update from Amtrak on when a rescue may arrive to move the train.”
Some of the passengers apparently grew so desperate they called 911 for help. Sweeney tweeted a video taken by one of the passengers on board of a conductor making an announcement over the loudspeaker, scolding those who were calling for help.
“And once again, for those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage,” said the conductor. “We are giving you all the information in which we have. We are sorry about the inconvenience. As soon as more information is available, we will let you know shortly. Thank you.”
“We have been providing regular updates to customers, along with meals, snack packs and beverages,” Amtrak told ABC News. “The onboard staff is working with pet owners to provide bathroom breaks.” Amtrak also told local reporters that the train was stocked with “1.5 meals per passenger.”
Sweeney reported that the new crew did eventually arrive and the train got moving again late Tuesday.
Eventually, what should have been a 17-hour trip turned into a 37-hour ordeal, and the train arrived in Sanford Wednesday morning with 563 passengers and 333 vehicles onboard.
