Passenger Trains > Passengers: "Kind of on our own in White River Jct."

Followup to yesterday's thread at: http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,3269048
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Stuck in White River Junction
Amtrak Passengers Forced to Disembark Due to Weather
Valley News, West Lebanon NH
Monday, December 23, 2013

> White River Junction — Although the Upper Valley was spared the
> brunt of the damage from the weekend ice storm, scores of travelers
> were scrambling to find transportation north of White River Junction
> Sunday, as both Amtrak and the Greyhound bus line canceled Vermont
> trips north of the village.
>
> White River Junction was the last stop for an Amtrak train that was
> supposed to continue north to the Burlington area. More than 100
> Amtrak passengers who had hoped to travel beyond had to disembark,
> several passengers said, after Amtrak employees told them that downed
> trees and branches on the tracks were disrupting train service...
>
> ...The combination of the Amtrak and Greyhound cancellations
> presented a conundrum for many passengers, said Jed Cohen, of Stowe,
> Vt. Cohen was among the passengers who got off the train around 7
> p.m. Sunday, and met friends and family who had arrived to rescue
> stranded travelers; taxi drivers lined up in hopes of ferrying the
> rest to area hotels.
>
> Cohen had coordinated one of those cabs from the train when he
> learned that passengers were “kind of on (our) own” in White River
> Junction. He called a Stowe-based cab driver, Jim Podrasky of Blazer
> Transportation, who made the trip down to pick up Cohen. Another
> pair of passengers was coordinating to possibly split the cab with
> Cohen back to Stowe that night.
>
> “I’m not home yet, but it’s been OK so far,” Cohen said.
>
> Another passenger, Hugh Knox of Greensboro, N.C., had planned to
> travel from Washington D.C. to Montpelier. As he jumped into a cab
> Sunday night on his way to a motel he’d never heard of, he summed up
> the experience in two words: a “big inconvenience,” he said.
>
> Amtrak passenger Jon Robinson got on the train in New York City and
> had planned to travel to Montpelier. His girlfriend, who is staying
> in Montpelier with family for the holidays, was going to try to come
> down to pick him up if it was safe enough, he said. But other
> passengers were not so lucky to have alternative transportation...
>
> ...Robinson said passengers were “impressive” in the way they were
> coming together to try to help those who didn’t have rides or
> accommodations. “People have been talking about making rooms
> available in their homes and giving each other rides,” he said...

Link:

Stuck in White River Junction



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/13 15:13 by GenePoon.

When people try to help out strangers; what a great story for Christmas. After all Christmas is about love and peace as we celebrate the birthday of the Lord. Merry Christmas to all and hopefully everyone can make it to their destinations safely.

My family unit prevailed on another family member to brave the icy roads to drive the 86 miles to get them -- not a pleasant trip coming to get them or going back north -- because I was able to facilitate some communications and information from here by text message.

I feel sorry for someone from say DC, or New York, or maybe Europe or China, who was trying to get north of White River Junction, knew no one there but had a room reserved in Burlington, looking forward to an American Christmas in the land of snow; no passenger agent to help with arrangements, etc.

But then I read the article (thanks Gene) and rejoiced in the way that people came together to help each other. They focused on their connections not their differences, the true spirit of the season.

As my daughter (the one up there) said on her holiday card:

Merry everything, and happy always.

(glad to see that service returns with the northbound today [23] and southbound tomorrow [24] = my family will get home to DC)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/13 16:23 by RevRandy.

Not Amtrak's fault the route conditions. But they should have made arrangements for passenger's accommodations if that's what the passengers choose to do.