Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 2
Family Drives 32 Hours From El Paso to New Jersey After Derailment Strands Amtrak Passengers
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 2

Family Drives 32 Hours From El Paso to New Jersey After Derailment Strands Amtrak Passengers

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 2

Summary

  • A New Jersey family rented a car in El Paso and headed home after a derailment ahead of their Amtrak route halted the trip just hours after departure.
  • Amtrak said buses would come, but they were hours away and it was unclear whether they would carry passengers all the way home or only to the next major city.
  • The family — two adults and an 8-year-old — had been returning from a week in Tucson, about 2,000 miles from home, and chose driving over costly last-minute flights.
  • Their improvised trip added a rental car, a $35 booster seat and a $127 hotel stop in Pecos, Texas, before what became a near-nonstop cross-country drive.

Insights

What should passengers really expect when a long-distance train is halted—buses, refunds, or a costly cross-country drive home?
When an Amtrak derailment left a family stranded, why did a 32-hour drive feel safer than waiting for the railroad’s backup plan?
How did a deadly Southwest Chief derailment expose bigger flaws in rail-crossing safety and Amtrak’s disruption response?