JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Chris Brockett was traveling home from a dirt biking trip where he broke some ribs. For comfort, he booked a sleeper car on an Amtrak train headed to Jacksonville.
“We were almost home Friday morning,” Brockett said. “We were supposed to arrive at Jacksonville station at 6:30 a.m., something like that.”
But delays extended the trip longer than expected. The biggest delay was yet to come on Sunday morning.
“At 10:30 a.m., the train stopped and it just quietly rolled to a stop,” Brockett recalled. “All the power went out, the air conditioner went off, and none of the electricity on the train was working.”
Passengers sat stranded for some time before staff provided an update. Eventually, 16 people were treated and four were taken to the hospital due to “heat-related issues” after the train had to be stopped for a “mechanical assessment,” according to Amtrak.
“We were sitting dead in the water,” he said. “We were told it was an engineer who had been working too many hours and was over his allotted time. They were waiting for another engineer to arrive.”
News4Jax reached out to Amtrak, which provided this statement:
“At approximately 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 28, Amtrak train 41 was traveling from Chicago to Miami when it became disabled and lost head-end power south of Jesup, Ga. Amtrak was able to source substitute bus transportation, and customers were able to board these buses at approx. 3:45 p.m. ET on Sunday.”
When asked about the engineer hours, a spokesperson said, “To clarify, the mechanical issue with the engine was the cause of the issue. The original crew and relief crew were on duty.”
According to Amtrak Alerts on X, the company delayed several trains due to equipment unavailability or engine failure throughout the last day.
Brockett said several passengers were taken to the hospital, and he praised Nassau County officials for their assistance.
“I can’t say enough nice things about Nassau County,” he said. “They were first class.”
Brockett caught a ride in the back of a Nassau County Sheriff’s Office pickup truck and eventually made it home, helping another passenger along the way.
He said he understands delays happen, but felt the company did not provide clear answers.
“Tell me exactly what the issue is, and we’ll at least deal with it,” he said. “But we weren’t getting that. They gave us the impression it was going to be a very short problem.”
Chris is still trying to get his luggage from the trip delivered to his home in Nocatee.
Amtrak said the train carried 174 customers, 72 of whom stayed on board during the delay. The company said all customers are receiving full refunds and vouchers for future travel.
