'Silver Meteor' 28 Hours Late

Amtrak's Silver Meteor train arrived in New York from Florida more than 28 hours late on New Year's Eve, releasing more than 100 exhausted, hungry and angry passengers.

Their train had been stuck in Jacksonville, Fla., for half a day because of a derailed CSX freight train, then stopped again in rural Georgia as they waited for the tracks to reopen. A litany of complaints echoed through New York's Penn Station as about 100 passengers finally stepped off the escalator from the tracks below.

"I'm tired. I just want to sleep," said Jonathan Papik, 11, who was headed home to Long Island with his mother, Teresa Papik, after the marathon trip from Orlando, Fla.

The long wait "was a nightmare. It was claustrophobic — and I'm not a claustrophobic," said Karen Chiel, who boarded the train in West Palm Beach, Fla., with her two young children. The conductors "didn't let us know what was happening."

Amtrak said it was unfortunate the derailment occurred along the main corridor between the Northeast and the Southeast regions.

"We were unable to take an alternate route," Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. "We deeply regret the inconvenience to our passengers and the delay."

Some train cars ran out of toilet paper. People ran out of money to buy food. Young children were cranky and scared, and some adults were concerned about running out of medications, passengers said.

Teresa Papik said the only free meal Amtrak offered during the delay was a sandwich, a can of soda and chips. No water. "I'm starving," she said.

Many passengers said they wanted refunds. It costs from $100 to $200 per person to travel from Orlando to New York, depending on the seating class. The Amtrak spokeswoman had no comment on the issue.