Hundreds of travelers delayed ahead of Thanksgiving after Amtrak train cars separate
Cydney Henderson
Hundreds of travelers got quite the scare before Thanksgiving after an Amtrak train separated and became disabled on the track.
The train traveling from Montreal to New York experienced a "mechanical issue when two of the cars separated" Wednesday night near Albany, Amtrak said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Passenger Chuck Reeves, a software engineer on his way to his parents’ home on Long Island for the holidays, wrote on Twitter he heard a "pop" and "smelled electrical burning," followed by a "rush of cold air" shortly after the train departed.
"(I) turned around and looked back and saw the rat of the train is missing," he tweeted.
Reeves told the Associated Press the conductor left the detached car behind on the tracks. Aside from some crying children who were comforted by their parents, he added no one really panicked.
Amtrak brought another train to pick up the stranded passengers. The train company reported approximately a three-hour delay following the incident.
Amtrak said there were no injuries to the 287 passengers and crew on the train. It is currently investigating what caused the car separation.
Contributing: The Associated Press
Related: Is Amtrak becoming like the airlines?
