Commuters had to find another way after Amtrak indefinitely suspended service along the Northeast Corridor Line (which also serves Acela Express service) between Washington, DC. and Wilmington, Delaware around 3:30 a.m. About 90 minutes later the closure extended up to Philadelphia.
The closure not only stranded regular folks but it also left local politicians scrambling as U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) was left in a need of a ride after Amtrak canceled his 7:15 a.m. Northeast Regional Train from Wilmington, according to Carper spokeswoman Katie Wilson.
Carper wound up hitching a ride to Washington with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), according to Wilson.
A freight train accident near Aberdeen, Maryland caused the commuter nightmare:
Crews make progress in repairing downed wires after a freight train struck a support pole this AM on the NEC. pic.twitter.com/uvOyoonzEC — Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNEC) September 16, 2014
As the work continued on the track, the rail carrier loaded passengers on buses at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Amtrak says it's now providing limited service from Washington to Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.
Amtrak had suspended service on the Acela Express and on the Northeast Regional lines Tuesday morning because of downed overhead wires on the tracks.
The Northeast Regional takes passengers from Washington to Wilmington, while the Acela Express provides service to Wilmington. An Amtrak spokeswoman did not respond to repeated requests about how many passengers were affected.
The company says engineers are working to fix the problem as quickly and safely as possible but there's no estimate for full service restoration.
