It was a (very) long journey for these American travelers. In the United States, passengers aboard a train from Virginia to Florida suffered delays of almost 20 hours, some of them even believing in a hostage situation, reports ABC News. His train, which left on Monday afternoon, was due to arrive at its destination on Tuesday morning: it finally arrived on Wednesday morning, ending a grueling 37-hour journey. This “auto-train,” a specialized train that also carries passenger vehicles, was carrying 563 people.
This trip has suffered very significant delays due to the derailment of another freight train in South Carolina, forcing it to be diverted from its normal route so that it can continue traveling to Florida, explained the spokeswoman for Amtrak, the US public railway company. , quoted by the Washington Post. In addition, the train was detained for a long time on Tuesday afternoon in a small station awaiting the arrival of new equipment on board capable of operating this type of train, the original equipment having exceeded its maximum permitted working time. .
without light or food
On board the train, the wait was long for the passengers, who spent 29 hours in the carriages (this train, which runs at night, usually stops only once on its journey). The situation is “very poorly managed” and “could become potentially dangerous as many passengers are elderly and the train is running low on food,” one passenger complained, addressing Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a tweet. Amtrak, for its part, claims to have provided snacks and drinks.
Blocked on the train, the passengers were not allowed to get out of the carriages. The passengers ended up calling 911 (the American emergency number) to warn the police, citing a “hostage taking.” Various videos obtained by ABC News it actually shows the driver addressing the passengers asking them not to dial 911 again. speaker. Amtrak is regularly singled out for its frequent delays.
Source: BFM TV
