LORTON, Va. — Hundreds of passengers are breathing a sigh of relief after a train derailment sparked a major delay for an Amtrak nonstop route traveling from Northern Virginia to Florida.
Amtrak Auto Train 53 from Lorton, Virginia departed after 5 p.m. on Monday and was supposed to arrive in Sanford, Florida around 10 a.m. the next day. However, a freight train derailment in South Carolina forced a significant detour off its normal route to continue heading south.
"Just before 11:00 p.m. Monday, a CSX freight train came in contact with an unoccupied vehicle on the tracks at Charles Street in Lake City, SC resulting in the derailment of 25 rail cars and two locomotives," a CSX spokesperson said. "The locomotives remained upright. There were no injuries to the crew of the train and no hazardous materials involved. CSX crews safely cleared the tracks and train operations resumed at reduced speeds around 5 p.m. Tuesday."
An Amtrak spokesperson said the company provided regular updates, along with meals, snack packs, and beverages.
"Additional food from local businesses along the route was also provided during the trip," an Amtrak statement said. "The onboard staff worked with pet owners to provide bathroom breaks."
MJ Crowley was one of 563 customers stuck on board and unable to leave. She paints a more stressful situation.
"It was horrible," Crowley told WUSA9. "I will never experience this again because I will never go on a train again. Garbage was overflowing and the food was running low. The bathrooms, everyone was a nervous wreck, because what were we going to do if there was a problem? And, there were some issues with that."
She claimed the delays took longer because crews had to switch out.
"We probably waited for staff changes three or four times," she said. "It was tough but you keep thinking there are people in a lot worse situations than this."
On top of everyone, Crowley added there was initially a lack of communication when the derailment first happened. She remembered someone made a 911 call concerned about being stuck.
In its statement, Amtrak apologized and said it will be working with each customer on fare refunds.