A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train got stuck in southwest Philadelphia Thursday after Amtrak routed the train onto the wrong tracks.
The train was on the Wilmington/Newark line, headed from Newark, Delaware, toward the city’s 30th Street Station at the time of the incident. The power went out on one of the train’s cars at 7 a.m.
There were 250 passengers on the train, according to Philadelphia CBS affiliate KYW-TV.
“I need a radio up here. I think Amtrak routed us wrong. This is not good,” the operator told the train’s conductor, according to a post on X from passenger and Philadelphia Inquirer writer Joe DiStefano.
SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch confirmed to KYW that Amtrak had routed the regional train onto a dead set of tracks. While the Wilmington/Newark line is operated by the local agency, it runs on Amtrak rails.
Three of the train’s four cars had power, Mr. Busch told Philadelphia Fox station WTXF-TV, so those cars remained heated.
Attempts to power up the remaining car were unsuccessful while passengers waited for a rescue train.
By 8:39 a.m., the rescue train had arrived and picked up the stranded passengers on its way to Philadelphia, Mr. DiStefano wrote on X.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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