Amtrak train with 100+ passengers stopped in Gaston County after crash

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Amtrak Train 20 was forced to stop in Gaston County early Tuesday morning after hitting a tractor-trailer.

The train was traveling from New Orleans to New York just before 5 a.m. when it hit the 18-wheeler that was stuck on the railroad tracks along Lewis Farm Road and Bessemer City-Kings Mountain Highway.

The train’s journey ended in Charlotte.

Amtrak officials said there were no injuries to the 113 passengers or crew onboard the train traveling from New Orleans to New York.

However, passengers told Channel 9 they were stuck in the cold and dark for hours.

“It was my first time boarding, like I said, you know what are the odds of that happening on the first time? It’s like a Bruce Willis movie,” said passenger Marcus Craven.

Craven Savannah Wright was also on the train.

“We were about maybe 20 minutes out from Charlotte, I guess according to the train, Bessemer City, almost the Gaston line,” Wright said. “All of a sudden, just boom. We just kind of jerked forward and everybody was kind of like, ‘What?’”

Wright and Craven said the power went out after the crash and they were stuck on the train without heat for around an hour. They wish more had been done by staff to accommodate them.

“Then they finally cut some power back on after a while,” Wright said. “But they didn’t give us any snacks.”

“I do understand that railroad company doesn’t have like flight attendants,” Craven said. “So they more so tended to the incident,” Craven said. “However, they could have done a much better job at accommodating the passengers.”

Amtrak and state and local law enforcement agencies are investigating the incident.

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Check wsoctv.com for updates.

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