Amtrak train becomes disabled near Niles, leaving passengers stranded for hours

From WWMT-TV News Channel 9 and M-Live.com:

Passengers are finally home bound after being delayed hours on a disabled Amtrak train.

Train 364 which departed from Chicago and was heading to Port Huron became disabled in Niles, according to Amtrak Spokesman Craig Schulz.

There were 155 people on-board at the time. Nobody was injured.

Another train came to Niles around 11:30 p.m. On Tuesday to bring passengers to Battle Creek.

Passengers on-board told Newschannel 3 buses arrived at the Battle Creek Station around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday Morning.

The train was supposed to arrive at the Port Huron station at 11:38 p.m. Tuesday night, according to the Amtrak website.

Passengers say they became frustrated because of the lack of communication on the train at the time.

Schulz says alternate arrangements have been made for all passengers.

Apparently the delay was caused by the train striking a pedestrian.

M-Live.com reported that a Niles Township man is in critical condition after being struck by a train near Niles early Wednesday morning.

Michigan State Police troopers responded to the train-pedestrian accident at 1:20 a.m. near Bakertown Road in Buchanan Township. Troopers searched the area and found an 18-year-old man seriously injured near the train tracks.

The man told police that he had been in a rollover accident prior to being struck by the train, according to a news release. Police found the car in a corn field west of the tracks.

Investigators say the man lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway, and rolled several times. The man then walked away from the vehicle and was later struck by a westbound Amtrak train.

Alcohol appears to be a factor in the accident, police say. The man was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital where he is in critical but stable condition.

Sources:
http://wwmt.com/shared/news/features/top-stories/stories/wwmt_amtrak-train-becomes-disabled-leaving-passengers-stranded-hours-18425.shtml#.UwVRhoXf0o

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/02/niles_man_struck_by_amtrak_tra.html