An Amtrak train heading for Washington, D.C., was stopped in Delaware for more than one hour due to crews working too many hours during the day.
The Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 193 was traveling from New York to Washington, making stops in Philadelphia and Delaware.
"The train left Philadelphia on time at 7:10 p.m. and Wilmington on time," said Susan Poulton, one of the passengers. "And then it came to a complete stop right before the Newark, Delaware stop. After 10 minutes, the conductor announced that the crew had worked a 12-hour shift and had "run out of hours" and had to wait on another crew to relieve them."
Poulton told NBC Philadelphia she was on a southbound Northeast Regional train that left Philadelphia on the same night and time as the Amtrak train involved in the deadly derailment last month. That accident weighed heavily on her mind and the minds of other passengers Tuesday night, according to Poulton.
"About 30 minutes in, we heard a train horn behind us (I'm in the last car) and another southbound train passed us on the left," she said. "There were a couple of nervous looks around the train feeling like sitting ducks in the track. Then another train passed, then another."
An Amtrak official confirmed with NBC10 the train was stopped due to the crew members "exceeding the limit of hours of service." The official called it an "administrative mistake" that was "extremely rare." He also said Amtrak will investigate the incident.
The train remained in Delaware for an hour and 12 minutes until a replacement crew arrived. The train then continued towards Washington, D.C., and arrived at Union Station around 10:20 p.m.
