Hundreds of Amtrak passengers traveling from Miami to New York found themselves stranded for nearly a full day after a brush fire ignited near the train tracks in Florida.
The Silver Meteor 98 train departed Miami as scheduled at 7:05 a.m. on Sunday, with an expected arrival in New York at 10:47 a.m. the following day.
Despite having numerous stops planned along the East Coast, the train never left Florida, coming to a halt south of Jacksonville, just past Palatka.
Two rapidly expanding brush fires near the Clay-Putnam County line north of the train’s location merged into a massive blaze covering 3,000 acres, as reported by News4JAX.
By the time the train was due in New York at 10:45 a.m., the 232 passengers were still stationary in Florida.
Those who boarded in Miami endured more than 24 hours on the train, while passengers from later stops experienced delays of at least 19 hours.
A trapped passenger posted about the dire situation on the Amtrak Reddit community around 8.30am and wrote that they had boarded at DeLand, which was the last station before Palatka where the train stopped.
‘Everything was fine until we hit delays from a fire south of Jacksonville. We waited 6–7 hours, then were told we had to turn around and head back,’ the user wrote.
Hundreds of Amtrak passengers became stuck on this train for up to more than 24 hours after it was halted due to brush fires in Florida
Some passengers jumped off the train to walk after restrooms began overflowing and few updates were provided. One trapped passenger who jumped off posted a video of himself walking away on Instagram
The train was stopped due to two brush fires around the Clay-Putnam County line that were combining into one fire covering 3,000 acres. A small part of the brush fire is pictured
‘After a very rough couple of hours, we got back as far as Palatka, then ended up stopped again just outside DeLand. We’ve now been sitting on the tracks for about 10 more hours with little to no clear updates.’
The person added that people on board were ‘exhausted, angry, and restless’ and that the bathrooms on the train were ‘overflowing and unusable.’
Other passengers who were trapped on the same train commented in the thread and complained of the disgusting restrooms. One user wrote that they ‘were overflooded with feces and urine’ and that there was ‘no more running water.’
The commenter added that the train was just three miles from the nearest station, but ‘they refused to provide updates or take us back into the DeLand station.’
Commenters also said that people had begun jumping off the train to walk, which prompted authorities to get on the intercom and announce that anyone who got off would be fined, arrested and banned from Amtrak for life.
In a statement, Amtrak told the Daily Mail: ‘Customers onboard were provided snack packs, beverages, food from the lounge car, and pizza once the train arrived in Orlando.
‘Customers traveling onboard this train will also receive a full refund and Amtrak travel vouchers.’
Amtrak did not explain why the passengers were told not to exit the train, though it was likely because the company does not own the tracks or ballast between stations, and it could be liable for passengers trespassing or getting injured.
Passengers were told that if they jumped off the train, they could be arrested, fined and banned from Amtrak for life. People did so anyway, and one of those individuals is pictured
A truck is pictured spraying water into brush among smoky conditions as the fire spread. Several Amtrak train services have been cancelled or altered due to the fire
According to Amtrak’s Train Status website page, the track was closed at 11.57am, and passengers were returned to their point of origins.
According to Amtrak’s Customer Service Commitments, the company promises to deliver passengers to their destinations ‘safely and promptly, and to provide timely communication of known delays and cancellations.’
But the commitments also say that ‘In cases of events beyond our control, Amtrak may cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, or delay any service without notice.’
Amtrak told the Daily Mail that Silver Meteor Train 98, which is the one that was trapped, cancelled service and will now depart from Jacksonville, north of the brush fires.
Silver Meteor Train 97, which was scheduled to depart on Tuesday, has also been cancelled.
The company is providing alternative transport options in the form of limited bus service from Miami to Jacksonville in order to get passengers to the new point of departure.
Other service adjustments include Floridian Trains 40 and 41, which have new points of departure and termination. Auto Trains 52 and 53 were also cancelled on Monday.
