These Amtrak Passengers Are Having a Really Bad Journey

Train in remote Oregon hit a tree Sunday, and they may be there until Tuesday
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 26, 2019 6:03 AM CST
Amtrak Train Has Been Stranded More Than a Day
File photo of an Amtrak train.   (AP Photo/Nicole Evatt)

Nearly 200 people aboard an Amtrak train now have everyone else beat when it comes to tales about travel nightmares. Their train hit a downed tree in remote Oregon on Sunday evening, and all aboard—183 passengers, plus the crew—will likely be stuck there until Tuesday morning, reports the Oregonian. The train, which left Seattle on Sunday morning en route to Los Angeles, is stranded in Oakridge, near Eugene. The area has been hit by heavy snow, and Amtrak has deemed it safest to keep everybody on board until help arrives, reports KOIN.

Plus, only two small hotels are in town anyway, and power is spotty there because of the snowstorm. On the bright side, the train itself still has power, and, crucially, at least six working bathrooms. But passengers say conditions aren't exactly pleasant, with parents running short on diapers, and fresh water and food running low. “It’s been difficult to keep people’s panic down and morale up because we have no idea when we’re getting off,” says passenger Rebecca Dodson. See her tweeted video about the situation here. (More Amtrak stories.)

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