PONTIAC, Mich. — What was supposed to be a 5½-hour rail trip from Detroit to Chicago turned into a 19-hour ordeal for passengers on an Amtrak train that lost power, leaving them without light, heat or running toilets.
Wolverine Train 351 left Pontiac about 6 a.m. Eastern time on Friday. Some passengers were so frustrated that they got off the train well before it finally reached Chicago on Saturday, just after midnight Central time, MLive.com reported.The problems began west of Ann Arbor. The train stopped there due to the power problem, Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said.
Abrams said the passenger who called for medical treatment remained on the train as it continued to Chicago. “No heat, no electricity, and at this point it’s dark, so no lights,” he said. “They were cracking glowsticks to give us light. The toilets are overflowing because you cannot flush these toilets without electricity, so it smells awful. It’s really cold, and there’s just a skeleton crew on board.”“We’re feeling like we can’t stay on this train anymore,” he said. “We’re getting no information from Amtrak. Again, we’re cold, hungry, people need to use the bathroom. It smells awful.