Amtrak issued an apology after 110 passengers were stranded at Washington's Union Station after the boarding gate never opened.
“On December 26, Amtrak Train 66 from Roanoke, Virginia, to New York departed Washington Union Station before all passengers could board. Amtrak deeply apologizes for the misunderstanding that led to customer standstill. They lost their trainA representative from Amtrak told Fox News Digital.
“We offered customer service on the next train, food and beverages, hotel accommodations, and a full refund,” the representative said.
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The commotion was first reported on Reddit's r/Amtrak subreddit in the early morning hours of December 27.
“Northeast Territory left without 100 passengers from DC,” Reddit user and potential passenger on Amtrak Train 66 “PreparationDry8083” wrote.
Amtrak apologized after 110 passengers were abandoned at Washington Union Station. (Stephanie Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
PreparationDry8083 explained in the post that the train was supposed to board at 10 p.m., and that passengers I got in line 9:40pm after receiving a text message that it was time to board.
“The 10:15 train says it has left, and there are 100 of us still waiting for the gate to open,” PreparationDry8083 said. At 11 p.m., the station manager said, “The train left because no one got on board.”
At Washington Union Station, Amtrak passengers are not permitted to board the platform before a designated boarding time, and passengers' tickets are checked before boarding—similar to the boarding process on an airline.
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In an update post later on December 27, PreparationDry8083 provided additional details about the failed boarding procedure and what happened.
PreparationDry8083 said the boarding gate never opened, and the doors were taped to a sign in front of them.
“It's not entirely intuitive,” the Reddit user wrote.
“The whole process was like boarding a plane at the airport. I don't think anyone wanted to cause trouble in front of the station police.”
“I don’t think anyone wanted to cause trouble with the police station in his opinion.”
PreparationDry8083 said the train was already delayed, and other passengers thought it might be delayed even more.
“When it came time to leave late, I think a lot of people were too Presumably Amtrak “He was running back again,” the user wrote.
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PreparationDry8083 said a total of 110 passengers were left behind.
“I think a lot of people were concerned that if they stepped out of line to search an empty station for an attendant, the boarding process would come and go without them,” PrecisionDry8083 wrote, adding that station police were “just as confused” as they were. The passengers behind them.
A Reddit user (not pictured) wrote that everyone was confused and assumed their train was delayed – until they received a message saying it had left. (Associated Press)
Fox News Digital has reached out to PerparationDry8083 for additional comment.
On Reddit, users were shocked at how a number of passengers were left behind.
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“DC is the main station. They should be expecting passengers. The conductor not asking where passengers are is a big problem,” user WickedJigglyPuff said, adding: “Amtrak should have a list of stations that can't be moved.” “I left without boarding passengers.”
“What a mess. Hopefully someone gets fired. But glad you got compensation in the end,” he said.
Reddit users wondered why Amtrak employees were so confused that no one was boarding the train at a major station. (google maps)
Throwaway3113151 continued, “It's absolutely crazy that Amtrak is making everyone wait in huge lines. There's no reason they can't operate like high-speed trains in Europe, where the platform is open. But Amtrak and the average seem to be on par with “Course.”
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Amtrak did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions about modifying the boarding process at Washington Union Station in light of this incident.
