(The following story by Janet Kelley appeared on the Intelligencer Journal website on July 14, 2010.)
COATESVILLE, Pa. — For the second consecutive morning, storm damage caused a lengthy delay for Amtrak commuters Wednesday.
Shortly after 6 a.m., a tree hit the overhead wires on the passenger train line about one mile west of Coatesville, according to Tracy Connell, Amtrak spokeswoman.
A train arm — which links the train to the overhead electrical wires — was damaged, Connell said.
The train lost electrical power, and approximately 125 passengers were stranded for about 1 1/2 hours, but none were injured, Connell said.
Eventually, passengers were able to board another eastbound train headed to Philadelphia.
While crews periodically patrol the tracks to prevent such mishaps, Connell said there was no way of knowing when the tree fell in the storm.
A similar incident happened Tuesday morning when another tree fell on overhead wires about 200 yards east of the Mount Joy station at 6:40 a.m.
Passengers were transferred to buses, taking them either to Lancaster or Harrisburg, after about an 80-minute delay, Connell said.