One hundred and fifty passengers were rescued late Tuesday from a broken down Tri-Rail train in Broward County.
The train “was terminated” just before 8 p.m. “due to mechanical issues,” Tri-Rail said, and a rescue train was sent to pick up passengers by 10:30 p.m.
One person who reached out to NBC6 said passengers were stranded for longer between Fort Lauderdale and Sheridan stations, writing that no one was offered food or water and the air conditioning was not working well.
Tri-Rail issued a lengthy apology on Wednesday, saying the incident was one of four trains that had mechanical issues on Monday and Tuesday.
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Read the full-statement from SFRTA Executive Director David W. Dech here:
“I am reaching out to address the serious service failures you have encountered this week. The disruptions caused by the termination of a train on Monday and three trains on Tuesday due to mechanical issues, led to extensive delays and significantly impacted your travel experience. This situation is unacceptable. Our passengers deserve reliable and timely service, and we clearly fell short of those expectations. The cascading effect of these failures demonstrated a significant gap in our ability to manage and prevent such issues, and it is clear that we need to take immediate and substantial action. I want to assure you that we are taking this matter very seriously and I hold myself accountable to make sure we do better. We are thoroughly reviewing our operational procedures and maintenance protocols to address the underlying problems that led to these failures. Additionally, we are expediting the integration of three newly overhauled locomotives into our fleet in the next few weeks, with four more to be added in the next few months. While these new engines will help alleviate some of the current mechanical issues, I recognize that this is only a part of the solution. Our commitment is to provide a service that meets your expectations and respects your time. We have failed to do that this week, and for that, I sincerely apologize. Please know that we are dedicated to implementing the necessary changes to prevent such disruptions in the future and to restore your confidence in our service. Thank you for your patience as we work to rectify these issues and improve our service. You deserve better, and we are committed to delivering on that promise.”
