AMTRAK snow cancellations - Trains Magazine

The New York Times A Wicked Storm, and a Train Trip Interrupted by Liz Robbins When the powerful Mid-Atlantic winter storm grounded all flights and shut down highways in the Mid-Atlantic region, Amtraks Capitol Limited, bound for Chicago from Washington, seemed to offer 115 passengers the perfect cozy alternative as it sped through the snow-swept

The New York Times

A Wicked Storm, and a Train Trip Interrupted  by Liz Robbins

When the powerful Mid-Atlantic winter storm grounded all flights and shut down highways in the Mid-Atlantic region, Amtrak’s Capitol Limited, bound for Chicago from Washington, seemed to offer 115 passengers the perfect cozy alternative as it sped through the snow-swept countryside on Friday night.

But around 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, the train made an unscheduled stop just outside the former coal-mining town of Connellsville, Pa., 57 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. There, downed trees and power lines blocked the Capitol Limited, stranding and infuriating passengers who said they were not updated about the situation.

"This is outrageous," Sheribel Rothenberg, 65, from Chicago, said on a fellow passenger’s cell phone from the stranded train Saturday afternoon. "Nobody can do anything about the weather, but be truthful, keep us informed. Here we are on a train full of people, trying to get to funerals, weddings, or whatever, and they can’t get there. It’s very sad."

The downed power lines and other debris were on tracks owned by the freight company CSX, according to Clifford Cole, an Amtrak spokesman.

Removing the fallen trees posed challenges for workers. "As they clear them, more trees come down," said Robert Sullivan, a spokesman for CSX. "So it’s a constant project."

Complicating matters, a freight train had derailed on the tracks behind the train in Cumberland, Pa.

And there was one more problem: Amtrak’s train and engine crews had worked their maximum allowable hours, but could not be relieved because whiteout conditions in Western Pennsylvania highways prevented replacements from getting there.

The cars had heat, electricity, and meals to last through Saturday lunch. But by the 15th hour outside Connellsville, passengers were getting restless, the bathrooms were getting dirty and the view — murals paying homage to the mining industry — never changed.

"It’s pretty stressful," said Reginald Townsend, who was traveling to Chicago with his two daughters, ages 3 and 4. "No one’s cleaned up the bathrooms and I’m worried about the germs the kids could get."

Jessie McGill, 69, and his wife, Nancy, of Myrtle Beach, S.C. were on their way to Whitefish, Mont., via Chicago. "I’ve been planning this for a long time," he said. "I’ve already missed my connection today. And now, I don’t know if I’m going to make it tomorrow."

Amtrak had already canceled many of its routes along the Northeast corridor in the wake of the storm Friday and Saturday. And train No. 29 was not the only one stranded, Mr. Cole said, but he did not have information on the others.

Mr. Cole said that passengers were allowed to get off the train at the small platform in Connellsville for fresh air. One passenger called a friend in Pittsburgh who came to pick him up and take him home, according to two passengers who heard this man place the distress call.

The other passengers who had no such relief hunkered down for the night in coach or the sleeping cars. Amtrak had reached out to the local Kentucky Fried Chicken, which was supplying the train with dinner, Mr. Cole said. The chef onboard disembarked to go to the local grocery store for breakfast. "This is a situation we don’t want to have happen, but we’re trying to make accommodations," he said.

Passengers were trading books and magazines, downloading new books on their Kindle, and getting to know their seatmates better than they thought they ever would.

"I feel like I am camping," said Ms. Rothenberg. She and a fellow lawyer had been in Washington all week taking depositions. They were delighted that they were able to get a ticket at the last minute when Delta had canceled their flights Friday night. Their joy was short-lived.

Ms. Rothenberg traded three issues of The New Yorker for another passenger’s old copy of Huckleberry Finn. She was pleasantly diverted by Huck and Jim’s adventures, even as she glanced out the window anxiously.

"They’re up the river somewhere in Kentucky," she said of Huck and Jim, "which is better than up the river somewhere in Pennsylvania."

Indeed, the Capitol Limited was stopped opposite the banks of the Youghiogheny River, where thin chunks of ice moved gracefully in the current, making far more progress than the weary passengers.

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