NEW YORK—A high-speed Amtrak train headed from Boston to Washington with more than 100 passengers lost power and got stuck in New York City for almost seven hours Monday, railroad officials said.
The Acela train left Boston on time at 5:05 a.m. but got stuck in the Hunters Point neighborhood of Queens at 8:37 a.m. “due to a power loss of the train,” Amtrak spokesperson Jason Abrams said.
When the train first came to a stop, passenger Sari Brown said she didn’t think much of it.
“Then when it didn’t move again, I realized something was wrong,” said Brown, 65, who was on her way into New York City from Boston for work.
She said passengers on the train weren’t kept informed as the hours progressed. Despite seeing more Amtrak workers on the scene, “no one could fix the train,” Brown said.
The train was moving again as of 3:20 p.m. after a rescue engine arrived to move it into Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan, Abrams said.
Brown said when it did start moving again, there was a smell of smoke that made the last stretch of the journey scary. It was “not a good situation, shame on Amtrak,” she said.
Passengers continuing on to Washington will get off in New York and take another train to their destination, Abrams said.
There were no reports of injuries to the 106 passengers and crew members, Abrams said, adding that water and snacks were provided while the train was stalled.
