SANFORD, Fla. — Both Amtrak Auto Trains scheduled to run later today (Wednesday, Feb. 8) have been cancelled after the Monday southbound departure from Lorton, Va., arrived at its destination in Sanford some 12 hours late on Tuesday.
The cancellations reflect the domino effect of significantly delayed arrivals, and come at the end of a series of cascading delays. With the Tuesday train arriving at 10 p.m. rather than 9:59 a.m., Tuesday’s northbound departure, scheduled for 5 p.m., did not leave Sanford until 3:37 a.m. this (Wednesday) morning, necessitating the cancellations to get the equipment back on schedule for Thursday. The problems had been building for at least one previous round trip. Monday’s northbound arrival in Lorton was at 2:52 p.m., 4 hours, 53 minutes behind schedule; the southbound departure that day was at 7:58 p.m. instead of the scheduled 5 p.m.
The southbound trip that ended Tuesday night, meanwhile, experienced an extended delay in Callahan, Fla. — about 15 miles north of Jacksonville — according to WJXT-TV. Passengers told the station there were engine problems, leading to power and other issues.
Amtrak, in a statement to WJXT, said the train was “was temporarily disrupted due to mechanical issues. The train stopped in Callahan, Fla., while crews repaired the leak. There are no reported injuries to the 382 passengers or crew members. Passengers were served food and beverages.”
It is the second major delay for a southbound Auto Train in less than a month. Following a detour because of a freight derailment and hours-of-service issues for its crew, the train scheduled to arrive in Sanford on Jan. 10 arrived more than 20 hours late on Jan. 11 [see “Slide threat cancels Pacific Surfliners …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 11, 2023]. That incident led a group of U.S. Senators to write Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to ask about the passenger carrier’s procedures for customer care and compensation.
Share this article
