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Passengers traveling on an Amtrak Auto Train from DC to the Orlando area expected to finish their 17-hour trek early on Tuesday, Jan. 10, but a freight derailment states away led to unspeakable delays that forced more than 550 passengers to stay onboard through Wednesday due to a nearly 20-hour delay.
The train was detoured off its normal route due to the derailment of a CSX freighter shortly before 11 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 in South Carolina, where the Amtrak route was temporarily stalled. It began moving again late on Tuesday night.
Initially, passengers were expected to arrive in Sanford, Florida, by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, though instead, they arrived at around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11 after a 36-hour journey.
According to reports, the excessive delays were caused by the need to enlist a new crew to run the Auto Train, which can only be operated by a select few conductors.
The delays got so untenable that ABC News reported that a conductor had to report over the loudspeaker that riders were not being held hostage amid consternation from frustrated travelers, some of whom called the police from the train when it wasn’t moving.
"Once again, for those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage,” he could be heard saying. “We are giving you all the information in which we have and we are sorry about the inconvenience.”
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