Amtrak train freed after being stuck almost 13 hours in 25-foot ND snowbank

By Barry Amundson on Mar 8, 2017 at 10:06 p.m.



RUGBY, N.D. -- On the fourth attempt, an Amtrak train carrying 111 passengers that was stuck almost 13 hours in a 25-foot northern North Dakota snowbank was on its way to other eastward stops on Wednesday.

Three attempts failed earlier in the day after heavy snow and two days of fierce winds plugged the tracks with a 200-foot long snowbank.

The Empire Builder, as the train is called,  got stuck five miles west of Rugby in north-central North Dakota at about 7 a.m. and was finally dug out about 6:45 p.m., according to Amy McBeth, Minneapolis, BNSF public relations director for this region. ... BNSF inspected the train for any damages and the train was moving again at about 7:45 p.m.

The closure of the one-lane track also held up a westbound Amtrak train also called the Empire Builder, with 96 passengers, at Leeds, about 35 miles to the east. That train left Leeds after a delay of about 14 hours and headed west.