(The following article by Jennifer S. Lee was posted on the New York Times website on November 17.)
NEW YORK — Amtrak service along the Northeast Corridor, especially between New York and Washington, will be severely delayed this morning due to a freight train derailment south of Baltimore on Thursday night, an Amtrak spokeswoman said.
All train service between Baltimore and Washington was halted shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, but officials expected to have limited service in effect by 6 a.m. this morning, said Tracy Connell, a spokeswoman for Amtrak.
She recommended that passengers call 1-800-USA-RAIL to check for service updates.
A CSX freight train derailed in Bowie, Md., about 7:25 p.m. Thursday, and two of its cars struck a pole providing electric power to Amtrak trains. Crews worked overnight trying to restore power between Baltimore and Washington.
Elizabeth Lutyens, of Asheville, N.C., was among the passengers stranded in Washington last night. She took a taxi to New York with three other women.
The fare was going to be $450, split among four passengers. “We bargained,” she said. “But we gave him extra money because we felt bad that he had to go all the way back.”