Amtrak Strands Passengers in Heat Wave: No AC for Over an Hour in Baltimore Tunnel

In a sweltering twist of events, Amtrak passengers on Northeast Regional Train 94 found themselves stranded in the Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel on Monday afternoon, enduring over an hour without power or air conditioning. Amid a punishing heat wave gripping the East Coast, the train, en route from Washington, D.C. to Boston, came to a halt before reaching Baltimore Penn Station. With limited cell service and temperatures outside soaring past 90 degrees, the situation inside the carriages must have felt like a preview of summer’s inferno.

By 5 p.m. EST, the passengers were finally evacuated and offered alternative transportation, including a rescue train, number 176, which was held in Baltimore to accommodate them. Amtrak issued an apology for the inconvenience, providing snack packs and bottled water as a small gesture of amends while service recovery got underway. They also advised travelers between Wilmington and Boston to rebook on the next available train, acknowledging the disruption with a touch of corporate regret.

This incident couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Northeast is currently baking under a historic heat dome, with humidity levels making the air feel like a wet blanket for over 190 million Americans. Extreme heat warnings are in place from the mid-Atlantic to New England, and health officials are sounding the alarm about the risks of heat-related illnesses, especially for the young, elderly, and those with chronic conditions. As this Amtrak debacle unfolded, it’s a stark reminder of how infrastructure hiccups can amplify the challenges of nature’s wrath.

Let’s hope Amtrak gets its engines—and its act—together before the next heat wave turns another commute into a sweat lodge on rails.