ALERT: North Dakota- Amtrak train freed after 13 hours stuck in snow bank (March 9, 2017)

March 9, 2017

An Amtrak train carrying 111 passengers got stuck in a 25-foot-high by 200-foot-long snowbank in Rugby, North Dakota on Wednesday and was finally freed 13 hours later.

According to CBS Fargo, North Dakota affiliate KXJB-TV:

The St. Paul and Chicago-bound Amtrak’s Empire Building was delayed in Minot and got stuck about five miles west of Rugby, in north-central North Dakota. Crews failed three times to dislodge the train before succeeding at about 6:45 p.m. A passenger on the train told KXJB-TV that workers had to use bulldozers and shovel by hand to dig the train out.

In a statement, Amtrak said:

“We appreciate the offers of assistance from emergency responders in North Dakota, but our customers (111 eastbound and 96 westbound) stayed aboard the train and were kept comfortable by our Amtrak staff.”

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