(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
NEW YORK (AP/WBZ-AM) -- Some people spent the end of their Thanksgiving holiday stuck on an Amtrak train for more than five hours.
The Acela had left Washington for Boston Sunday when Amtrak says debris caused damage to the pantograph that connects the train to the overhead power line in Queens, New York. It sat on the tracks while Amtrak tried to make repairs from about 10 a.m. until shortly after 3 p.m.
Just five minutes into their ride, passengers were stuck just outside Penn Station without many answers--and without even flush toilets.
"What the stewardesses or whatever eventually ended up doing was making like, a porta-potty out of a cardboard box," rider Beth Jacobson told WBZ-TV.
After about an hour, crews opened the train doors to help circulate air, and conductors handed out water and food--but there was no electricity.
"It's not as bad as being stuck on a plane, but I'm just glad to be back, glad to be over with, off this train," passenger Nick Yeh told WBZ-TV.
The train, which was due in Boston at 1:35 p.m., reached its destination at South Station in Boston around 8:20 p.m. Passengers said they have not yet heard if they will receive a refund or compensation from Amtrak.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
WBZ NewsRadio's Ben Parker (@radiobenparker) reports