Hundreds of Amtrak Passengers Delayed When New London Rail Bridge Won't Close

Hundreds of passengers were at a standstill for hours after the extreme cold wouldn’t let a railroad bridge in New London close on Thursday night.

Shaw’s Cove Bridge wouldn’t close around 7:30 p.m.

Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said the bridge wouldn't close because of "complications resulting from the extremely cold weather."

It took crews until around 10:45 p.m. to get five trains back on the move. There were nearly 980 passengers delayed, according to information provided by Amtrak.

Two Shore Line East trains were also impacted because of the bridge. Passengers were pulled off and put on a bus, state Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Nursick said. 

Libby Dove knows the cold and snow could delay her train to Boston Logan International Airport so she planned ahead when booking her Amtrak from Union Station in New London.

"Wiggle room - two hours," Dove, a San Diego resident, said.

Chris Caiozzo said he always checks the weather before buying an Amtrak ticket.

"I actually have had Amtrak trains delayed and they’re actually very good with that," Caiozzo said. "They refund your tickets, they give you credit."

Some people on Thursday night’s trains took to Twitter.

"@AmtrakNEC @Amtrak on train 94 NYP > RTE and have been sitting idle for over an hour now. Unacceptable! What are you going to do to compensate me for my time??" one person tweeted to the company. 

Abrams said the weather glitch has happened occasionally with Shaw’s Cove Bridge, but not often. Amtrak also keeps an eye on the Mystic River Bridge in cold weather, but there is nothing that can be done to pre-treat, he added.

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