Nearly 500 passengers aboard a stranded Amtrak train thought they were being held hostage after a 17 hour trip ended up being more than 29 hours.
Some passengers began calling police in frustration.
The ride finally ended after 37 hours.
The Amtrak had left Lorton, Virginia, at 5pm Monday and was expected to reach Sanford, Florida, by 10am Tuesday. However, it had to reroute in South Carolina after a train collided with a wrecked vehicle on the tracks.
Then the Amtrak was stopped in Denmark, South Carolina, when the crew “timed out and became unable to legally operate it.”
They had to stop again in Savannah, Georgia, so crews could unload trash and pick up food.
There were also complaints of “gross” bathrooms. Some on board responded by calling 911, though officials warned that local police were unable to help.
The conductor went on the loudspeaker and told passengers, ”For those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage. We are giving you all the information which we have. We are sorry about the inconvenience.”
