Snow Strands 500 Passengers on Amtrak Trains Overnight

It's not just air travel getting snarled by the cold and snow

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Three Amtrak trains carrying about 500 passengers were stranded overnight Monday 80 miles outside of Chicago after encountering a 12-foot snow drift.

The train became stuck at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari told ABC News that one train had been unloaded. “We’re now moving to unload the second,” he said. The night stuck aboard came as sub-zero temperatures and snowfall across the Midwest and eastern United States has snarled air travel, cancelling and delaying thousands of flights.

Although passengers were provided with dinner, they complained of not receiving snacks or breakfast. Conditions were less than ideal, Laurette Mosely, en route from San Francisco to Chicago, told ABC.

“The conditions is cold, we’re wearing coats. And my husband is a diabetic. He hasn’t had any food all day,” Mosley said. “The bathrooms are flooded. The sinks are full with water and the toilets are flooded.”

[ABC]