Amtrak Suspends Phila.-Harrisburg Service Due To Dozens of Fallen Trees
By Tim Jimenez
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There was big trouble today for people who were planning a westbound trip from Philadelphia on Amtrak.
Today, the railroad said its "Keystone" service, between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, was being suspended for at least the remainder of the day.
The problem, according to Amtrak officials, was about 45 downed trees along that rail segment, the result of this morning's ice storm.
Amtrak said it was working to try to get the trees cut up and put out of the way so service could resume. The railroad added that there would probably also be a need to fix downed overhead power lines along the route and declined to say when Keystone service may be restored.
Paul was all set to fly back home to Providence, Rhode Island but mother nature sent him from the airport to 30th Street station.
"We flew in to Miami and then had our flight to Providence canceled," he said.
So he was looking to use Amtrak...but, wait, Miami? Must be nice.
"It's a heck of a lot better. A little bit. It was a business trip, so no beaches this time," he said.
And as he was waiting for a train, Mary was trying to use SEPTA to get home to Glenside. She just finished a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. And every time she hears about a winter storm, she echoes what many out there are thinking.
"A nightmare to go to work but I have to go," she said.
And it's more than just a paycheck, Mary says. Despite the frustration of storm after storm, rough commute after rough commute, she says her co-workers need her and more importantly the patients at HUP need her too.