SANFORD, Fla. — Amtrak’s Auto Train was set to depart from Sanford as normal on Tuesday afternoon, with passengers seen lining up in their cars as they prepared to board for the trip to Virginia.
The Auto Train had been canceled two days in a row after fires broke out along the tracks in northern Florida, forcing the Sunday northbound train to return to Sanford and the Monday train’s outright cancellation.
Another train, a passenger train from Miami, was also forced to turn around after approximately 24 hours.
“We have to be patient. We have to wait until the morning. When the morning came and instructed us to stay,” one passenger listed, as they disembarked in Orlando for a pizza dinner. “They had to change the engine. The engine conked out. Was just a whole thing.”
Amtrak’s cancellations on Tuesday were limited to two southbound trains across two of its lines: the Silver Meteor and the Floridian.
Passengers boarding the Auto Train on Tuesday in both Virginia and Sanford said they watched the fire coverage and were excited to avoid driving their cars.
“We were supposed to go to yesterday, and they told us we’d go today,” Gary Koenick said, as he sat in line with his wife.
CSX, which owns the tracks in Clay County, said the tracks were not damaged by the fire.
During a press conference Tuesday, Florida Forest Service leadership reminded property owners to avoid starting fires during the dry season, and if they did burn anything, to make sure the fire is put out before they left it.
“We’ve got two more months of this fire season and we’re asking everyone to do their part here,” one official said.
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