Amtrak train loses power, gets stuck in Mystic
Stonington — Nearly 300 passengers aboard an Amtrak train were stuck in the Mystic area for about three hours Thursday evening after the track lost power.
An Acela Express, Train 2164, was headed to Boston from Washington when it hit an area of track without power at 6:25 p.m., according to Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz. The train is supplied power by overhead lines.
At 9:30 p.m. the 299 passengers were in the process of being transferred to a train on a set of adjacent tracks. The passengers had to exit their train and walk to the other.
Schulz said the transfer would have occurred earlier but the adjacent track also lost power for a time. He said the loss of power was likely due to a buildup of ice and snow on the lines, but a full investigation was underway by Amtrak.
The train’s last stop was in Stamford and its next stop was in Providence. Schulz said no passengers were injured.
Train passenger Dana Torrey, of Watertown, Mass., said on two separate occasions he noticed flashes atop the train with sparks flying. The train eventually lost power and drifted to a stop.
He said one of the worst parts of the power loss was the fact that toilets did not flush — and not all passengers knew that fact before entering the bathrooms.
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