Stuck in the middle of nowhere OR Amtrak sucks

June 16, 2014 7.40am

Now we are sitting in our train, train is not going, we're in Nebraska, in the middle of nowhere, just about 200 miles away from our next big stop in Denver and 20 miles before next planned stop. We're in the middle of nowhere, even on some kind of a hill. The thing is that we  got awaken about 20 minutes ago by the announcement from the train crew. The announcement told us that the current crew is suddenly out of working hours and now according to the federal law they are not allowed to run the train further, They have to wait for the re-crew. And that one according to them won't arrive earlier than 3 hours later. The biggest question we have here is why did we have to wait in this place, why couldn't they leave us stuck in Denver or at least at some other station where we would be allowed to exit the train. Here, in the middle of nowhere,we are not allowed. All the tracks are private and passengers cannot just go out here. No, the biggest question is probably even another one - why do we have to wait for 3 hours at all? The expiration of the current crew's working hours was obviously something that could have been planned, so why didn't they send the re-crew beforehand? 

Now we are sitting with other passengers and discussing this whole situation just like we do in Russia when something like this happens. Although, much more friendly. People are laughing and the atmosphere is overall more positive than it would have been in Russia. In Russia there would have for sure been at least one person who would have started to fight with the crew trying to convince them to go on and insulting them personally. There's at least my experience for example from a 12 hours delay of an Aeroflot flight. Here nobody blames the crew. Passengers are patient and understanding to them. I haven't heard a single accusation word in their direction.

One of our neighbors came up to us right after the announcement with the question "How do you like America now?".

There is no internet connection here, no mobile reception, we cannot go outside. At least, the dining car is working so we won't starve. Although I don't understand, why are they not distributing food for free and we still have to buy it. I wonder if there no regulations regarding that.

I'm afraid we won't get the whole picture. But I personally am of course very interested how did this happen. Is this a management fuck up? Or a procedure? Or a fuck up of a single person? Or maybe the combination of some them or all of them?

Update about 1 hour later. 

Just now we got an announcement: "Dear passengers, we got paramedics here on board. They just arrived being called by someone on this train. If you have called them please identify yourself." So right now the crew member is going through the train trying to find a person who called paramedics.

Looks like somebody just made a joke. 

One thing - so, somebody does have a cell phone reception here!

Update some time later

Finally we started moving. Approximately as truly said 3 hours later.