Disabled SEPTA Train Strands Passengers for Hours

Afternoon commute turns into a hot and sticky one for stranded passengers

The afternoon commute became a hot one for dozens of passengers on a Trenton-bound SEPTA train Wednesday afternoon.

As records temps neared 100 degrees passengers became stranded on a Trenton-bound regional rail train in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia.

The train became stuck near 32nd and Oxford Streets due to wire problems, according to SEPTA.

Stranded passengers said they were stuck on the train for about two hours without air conditioning or bathrooms.

Around 6:30 p.m. the passengers were taken off the disabled train and moved onto a train on another track. Dozens of passengers -- many in work clothes -- could be seen standing on the side of the tracks waiting to get onto the new train.

By about 7:30 the passengers were loaded on the new train and on their way home.

The same couldn't be said for passengers on a Chestnut Hill West train that was delayed for more than two hours en route to Chestnut Hill from Center City, according to one passenger on board.

Luckily the train had air conditioning but that doesn't mean it was comfortable on board.

"It was crowded, people were standing," said passenger Remya Vazhel. "It was a full train."

SEPTA mentioned hour-plus delays on the Trenton and Chestnut Hill West lines on SEPTA.org but nothing as extreme as what passengers claimed:

"Passengers experiencing delays in excess of 75 minutes en route on the Trenton and Chestnut Hill West branches in both directions due to Amtrak wire problems."


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