MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An Amtrak train en route from Chicago to Memphis broke down Friday morning in northwest Tennessee and had to be towed to Memphis by a freight engine.
“Early today Train 59 developed a mechanical issue between Fulton and Newbern that resulted in us leasing a CN freight engine to bring the train to Memphis,” the company said in a statement.
Riders continuing south to New Orleans were put on buses once they reached Central Station, Amtrak said.
Clarke Joseph, a passenger on the train, said the air conditioning was not working during the three-hour tow trip, which was difficult for some elderly passengers. He and his wife and son rode back home to New Orleans in a rental vehicle.
“It was horrible,” he wrote in a Facebook message. “Like a roast riding in a crock all day on (the) stove.”
Amtrak’s City of New Orleans runs daily between Chicago and New Orleans, with a stop in Memphis.
