- A New York-bound Amtrak train has been stopped for hours near Lynchburg, Virginia.
- Amtrak said that the train stopped due to trees that fell during the winter storms.
- Passengers onboard have been stuck for nearly 40 hours since leaving New Orleans.
A New York-bound Amtrak train has been stopped for hours on the tracks near Lynchburg, Virginia, because of a winter storm.
The train, Crescent Train 20, left New Orleans on Sunday for New York City, but became stuck north of Lynchburg about 4 p.m. on Monday due to fallen trees on the tracks, Amtrak wrote on Twitter.
The train left Atlanta at around 2 a.m. on Monday in what would normally be a 14-hour trip to Washington DC's Union Station, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Tuesday.
But the 220 passengers on board have been stuck for nearly 40 hours since leaving New Orleans, local news station WSB-TV reported on Tuesday. Passengers said they were making do without power and food while stuck, with little information about when they might be able to move again, according to reports.
"Nobody has eaten for about 20 hours and the toilets in coach are completely backed up," passenger Sean Thornton told AJC Tuesday morning. "The snack bar sold out of food yesterday. Passengers have been banned from leaving the train."
It's unclear if the train has begun moving yet. Once the tracks are cleared, the train will continue on to New York, its initial destination, an Amtrak spokesperson told The Washington Post.
A winter storm made commuting a hazard for travelers in Virginia.
Drivers in the northern part of the state were stuck on Interstate 95 for hours — and some for over a day — after a crash on the icy road involving six tractor-trailers forced the highway to shut down. Heavy snowfall beginning Monday morning made for dangerous conditions, and by Tuesday morning the road was officially shut down. Efforts to clear roads, made more complicated by at least four inches of ice, are anticipated to be completed Tuesday evening.
Another Amtrak train also became stuck on the same blocked tracks, NBC Washington reported, though it was able to return to Lynchburg Virginia after passengers spent 14 hours waiting. Amtrak cancelled other upcoming Crescent trains, along with the Piedmont route between Raleigh and Charlotte, and modified other routes throughout the northeast.