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. …
BREAKING: A travel nightmare is unfolding right now on Amtrak. Passengers on the Auto Train have been stuck on board for 29+ hours, currently sitting in the woods in rural South Carolina. Passengers called the local police saying they’re being held hostage.
LISTEN: pic.twitter.com/Jog4PHYT7G— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) January 11, 2023
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.
[Our transportation systems are currently experiencing a Nirvana under Pete Buttigieg, no? — Ed]
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