- Hundreds of passengers aboard two Amtrak trains got stuck for more than 30 hours overnight on Monday after the snow storm on Friday brought trees down on the tracks in Virginia
- Passengers said Amtrak 'dropped the ball' as they were left with blocked toilets, no food and little to no answers as they waited, sometimes in the cold
- Amtrak said the train - the Crescent 20 - continued at 5pm ET, once the tracks were cleared. It cancelled several rides traveling through the northeast due to the snow conditions
- It comes as hundreds of motorists experienced their own grueling delay of more than 27 hours along the Interstate 95 through Virginia
- The road was not cleared until 5pm ET, when the Virginia department of transport tweeted that all the cars had been cleared off the road
- Snowstorm Frida on Sunday and Monday piled up to 11 inches of snow on the Northeast coast of the country and its effects were still being felt on Tuesday
- Kamala Harris was strongly criticized for tweeting on Tuesday that 'America is moving again. That's what infrastructure is all about: getting people moving'
Travelers across the United States were stranded in miserable circumstances on Tuesday, as the country's transportation infrastructure ground to a halt following a winter storm on Sunday, and amid staff shortages due to COVID-19.
Airlines cancelled 3,723 flights on Tuesday, according to Flight Aware, with Washington DC's two airports - Reagan and Baltimore/Washington International - worst affected. Delays and cancellations have plagued air travel since Christmas, with the pandemic and weather being blamed, and the misery showing no signs of abating.
Kamala Harris, the vice president, angered many by tweeting enthusiastically about the Biden administration getting America 'moving' - despite thousands being stuck.
'Because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, America is moving again,' she said, in a tweet which struck many as tone deaf.
'That's what infrastructure is all about: getting people moving.'
Snow storm Frida trapped hundreds trapped along Virginia's I-95 on Tuesday, and hundreds more were left stranded inside Amtrak trains for more than 30 hours with blocked toilets and no food.
It was not until Tuesday evening, at 5:15pm ET, that the Virginia department of transport said the road had finally been cleared.
At 3:14pm they tweeted: 'We're making significant headway to remove disabled vehicles, & tractor trailers from I-95 then plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice.
'I-95 NB still closed between exit 104/Rt. 207 in Caroline to PW.
'I-95 southbound is closed at exit 152 to exit 136/Centreport Pkwy.'
At 5:15pm, the agency updated travelers that the road had been cleared.
'UPDATE: There are no people stranded still on I-95.
'Less than 20 vehicles left to be removed from the interstate before plow trains will come through to remove snow and ice from the travel lanes.'
Amtrak's Crescent, which left New Orleans on Sunday on its way to New York got stuck near Lynchburg, Virginia on Monday morning and remained there Tuesday.
Officials said downed trees due to the snow storm were blocking the tracks.
On Tuesday morning, passengers still aboard the train told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution they were without food, functioning toilets and information from the railroad as to what happens next.
'All we've been told is there are trees on the tracks preventing us from moving forward,' passenger Sean Thornton said Tuesday.
'Nobody has eaten for about 20 hours and the toilets in coach are completely backed up. The snack bar sold out of food yesterday. Passengers have been banned from leaving the train.'
Lavita Booker (left) said she and about 200 other passengers aboard the Amtrak Crescent were stuck for more than 30 hours in Lynchburg, Virginia
Snow storm Frida knocked down trees on top of railways in Virginia on Monday, causing Amtrak trains to stall, some for up to 30 hours
Booker (right) was able to exit the train for a while as it remained suspended
Amtrak said the trains would resume once the tracks have been cleared up
Amtrak says the train is supposed to complete its trip to New York, which was scheduled to end on Monday, once the tracks are clear.
'Our staff is working to make sure food and water is available for customers,' spokesperson Kimberly Woods wrote in an email.
Amtrak told WSET-TV that passengers can leave the train.
A separate train bound from Roanoke, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., got stuck on the same tracks, said Tamera Ferguson of Lynchburg.
She said her son spent 14 hours on the train before it returned to Lynchburg after 1 a.m. Tuesday. She said the railroad didn't offer stranded passengers other transportation or hotels.
Other passengers also expressed their frustration on social media as they continue to wait for their ride to resume.
On Facebook, passenger Lavita Booker said Amtrak simply dropped the ball and failed her and the other passengers aboard the Crescent.
'There's over 200 and some people on this train. We are stuck. We've been stuck for 22 hours. This is totally ridiculous.'
Twitter user Annie Catheriner, who was on the ride to New York City's Penn station, had been trapped on the train more more than 24 hours.
'There is no electricity, food or water and now one is here,' Catheriner wrote.
Riders aboard the two delayed trains expressed their frustration on Twitter
Jon Tenney, another Twitter user stuck on the same train also complained about a lack of essential services.
'All of the conductors have left. The doors are open. No heat. We ran out of food 8 hours ago and the toilets are no longer working,' Tenney wrote.
Another Twitter user with the handle name KaiChelena tweeted, 'I've been in this godd*mn Amtrak station since 11:50 am and with the amount in time I've been in here someone could've drove me up to Philly and I would've been home by now.
Twitter user Jon Leo said he was stranded in Lynchburg for 30 hours and hoped for an end to the madness.
'The crew has been doing the best they can, but even they aren't getting effective updates.'
Sunday and Monday's snowstorm – part of Winter Storm Frida – dumped over a foot of snow in parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and southern New Jersey.
Frida also blanketed much of Middle and East Tennessee into northern Alabama with as much as six inches of snow just after record warmth rang in the new year.
The storm left Amtrak trains suspended and shut down multiple trips through the northeast
The terrible storm also caused similar delays along the I-95 in Virginia
The Daily Progress of Charlottesville reported a train southbound from Charlottesville to Lynchburg had also been delayed due to downed trees, while Amtrak reported that its New York-bound Silver Star train, which left Miami, remained stopped at Richmond Tuesday morning because of downed trees.
A number of New York-New Orleans Crescents departing on Tuesday and later days have been canceled.
Amtrak also canceled both directions of the Piedmont, which runs between Raleigh, and Charlotte in North Carolina on Tuesday, as well the northbound Palmetto from Savannah, Georgia, to New York, and the northbound Auto Train, which operates from Sanford, Florida, to Lorton, Virginia.
The company also said it´s operating 'modified' service on some other routes on the Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston and on other trains south of Washington.
Snow storm Frida, which pilled 7 to 11 inches of snow on the US East Coast, also left Hundreds of motorists been stuck in the snow for more than 27 hours along a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 95 in Virginia after a crash involving six tractor-trailers, authorities said.
'Kamala strikes again': VP is slammed for tweet claiming 'America is moving again' while hundreds - including Democrat Senator Tim Kaine - had just entered their 27th hour stranded on I-95 in Virginia without gas or water
The vice president is now getting slammed for tweeting that 'America is moving again' while hundreds - including Virginia State Senator Tim Kane - were entering their 27th hour stranded on I-95 in Virginia without gas, food and water.
One infuriated user called on Kamala Harris to fire her social media team. 'They are clearly not agile enough to consider major headlines before posting something that makes you look foolish,' they wrote.
Harris tweeted Tuesday around noon: 'Because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, America is moving again. That's what infrastructure is all about: getting people moving.'
Her post referenced the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which 'will rebuild Tribal roads, bridges and rails, expand access to clean drinking water for Native communities, ensure every Native American has access to high-speed internet, tackle the climate crisis, advance environmental justice, and invest in Tribal communities that have too often been left behind,' according to the White House.
But many found it insensitive to the travelers who had endured more than a day stuck in their car without the help of Virginia's National Guard. Vehicles seemingly didn't move until the snow and ice began to melt Tuesday afternoon when temperatures climbed into the mid-30s.
'Why, why oh why would anyone think this tweet is a good idea at the same time I-95 is trending for a 12 hour+ 30-50 mile standstill? Are you guys *trying* to write GOP midterm attack ads for them?' one person said in response to Harris.
Another tweeted: 'There are people stuck in I-95, Kamala aint s*** moving,' while another added: 'I-95 would like a word.'
Senator Kaine, one of the hundreds of travelers stuck along the backed-up interstate, said in a tweet early Tuesday that read: 'I started my normal 2 hour drive to DC at 1pm yesterday. 19 hours later, I'm still not near the Capitol.'
He later reassured: 'I'm frustrated, but not in serious trouble.'
But as of Tuesday afternoon, Kaine was freed from the spot he had been stuck in for a total of 27 hours without food or drink. He told CNN that the last time he had a beverage was when he had a Dr Pepper at 4am when he stopped for gas before getting on the I-95.
Once he arrived at the Capitol, he said he was rushing straight to the bathroom and looking forward to eating a big meal.
And thankfully, the senator had 150 miles in his tank and only 40 miles left to his destination as the road began to clear up.
The snowy pile-up between Dumfries Road, which is nearly an hour to Washington, DC, and Carmel Church, only 8mi from the Capitol, began after a six-vehicle crash in Stafford
A day after the crash, people are now wondering if governor-elect Glenn Youngkin could be sworn into office before he was originally scheduled to on January 15
People on Twitter called Northam an 'embarrassment of a governor' and a 'fool' for not sending out the National Guard to help drivers who have been stranded in their cars without food or water for nearly 24 hours
A fire engine rested on the side of the road after sliding off in Tuesday's icy conditions
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A horse was seen being walked down the interstate as emergency vehicles struggled to navigate through the backed-up cars
People, including former VP candidate and Virginia State Senator Tim Kaine, grew worried as they approached nearly a full 24 hours stuck in their car without food and water
The snowy pile-up between Dumfries Road, which is nearly an hour to Washington, DC, and Carmel Church, only 8mi from the Capitol, began after a six-vehicle crash in Stafford Monday. For more than a day following, the 50-mile stretch of highway south of DC was blanketed in nearly a foot of snow and ice as temperatures dipped to the teens overnight.
The road became impassable when six tractor-trailers jackknifed in the winter storm and triggered a chain reaction Monday as other vehicles lost control and blocked lanes in both directions of I-95. Cars didn't begin to move freely down the interstate until late Tuesday afternoon.
People wondered if governor-elect Glenn Youngkin could be sworn into office before he was originally scheduled to on January 15 as they call Northam an 'embarrassment of a governor' and a 'fool' for not sending out the National Guard to help drivers who have been stranded in their cars without food or water for nearly 24 hours.
'Youngkin hasn't been sworn in yet. Come back in about ten days and if those people are still stranded I bet he'll do something about it,' one person tweeted after Northam seemingly went missing after a single tweet about deploying state and local emergency personnel posted at 8.17am.
It wasn't until around noon on Tuesday that the temperature reached above freezing and the icy conditions began to melt away. However, hundreds of travelers were still in urgent need of emergency personnel.
'We have to find a way to get national guard here. Diabetics and babies down here. People are going die here,' a friend told NBC's Joe Scarborough, who tweeted the quote in a plea to get people rescued faster.
Jim DeFede, who had been stuck on the interstate just south of Quantico for 24 hours, called I-95 'a complete parking lot' Tuesday morning and was growing angry as his woes weren't answered and emergency personnel weren't coming to his rescue.
'I don't know who's in charge but somebody better do something because there are cars and families just trapped here this entire time and nobody seems to be coming. I haven't seen a state trooper in at least 12 hours. I haven't seen a tow truck in at least 14 hours,' DeFede said in a video posted to Twitter.
Four hours later he said: 'I'm free - sort of. Prince William Fire Rescue guided the cars and trucks back to an newly opened exit and then I was routed North on I95. Now I'm trying to get off 95 and figure out my next move. But thank you to the Fire Rescue folks. Much appreciated.'
Meanwhile, it appeared as though Northam was hoping the sun would help melt the snow and clear traffic. 'Sunlight is expected to help @VaDOT clear the road,' he said on Twitter.
But DeFede said that as of this morning, the road was still covered in ice.
The governor said he could not provide an estimate for when I-95 would reopen or how many vehicles remained stranded. Transportation Department engineer Marcie Parker said the agency expected to finish clearing the interstate by Tuesday night and that it should be open for the Wednesday morning rush hour.
Tow trucks were finally seen helping a man stranded in a Penske truck in Carmel Church on Tuesday afternoon
After temperatures rose to above-freezing levels, workers removed cars and trucks stranded on I-95
As travelers reached their 24th hour without food and water, they grew desperate for the National Guard to help them
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