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Carly Bigby
Passenger Carly Bigby shared photos of the stalled train
A train that was stuck in the snow for nearly 40 hours with 183 passengers on board is now on its way back to Seattle.
The Amtrak service, which began in Seattle and was heading to Los Angeles, hit a tree in Oregon on Sunday evening.
Heavy snow and downed trees had prevented rail crews from reaching the train until Tuesday morning.
No one was hurt but passengers said there was a lack of food and water.
Other items such as nappies and female sanitary products were also running out and people said stress levels were rising.
One passenger, Rebekah Dodson, told KTVL News: “We’ve gotten yelled at for opening windows. We can’t get off the train because there’s 4ft (1.2m) of snow in every direction. There’s nowhere to go.”
In a separate interview with CNN she said several students have “panicked” because their university professors are refusing to accept their excuse for missing classes.
She added that the group includes about 20 students from Japan, and that there is poor mobile phone reception in the region.
The Coast Starlight Train 11 was stuck near Oakridge – a small town that has become further isolated by the wintry conditions, with snow blocking roads and causing the town to lose power.
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Carly Bigby
There are reportedly babies and children on board the train
Amtrak said no passengers would be charged for any food or water. They were working with the Union Pacific rail company to clear tracks.
Passenger Carly Bigby told the BBC another locomotive had arrived around 06:00 local time, but Amtrak informed them “it is going to be a slow go”.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amtrak said the train is now on its way back to Seattle, but “due to weather conditions, additional delays are to be expected along the route”.
In a further statement from its chief executive, Amtrak expressed “sincere regret” and promised refunds.
Amtrak said that passengers were kept on board the train because of the power outages in Oakridge and to avoid separating passengers between the town’s two small hotels.
Residents in Oakridge say the situation there is also growing dire, as local petrol stations and grocery stores have had to shut due to lack of electricity.
“You can’t get a hold of water, you can’t get a hold of food, you can’t get a hold of any sort of fuel to create heat or to cook with,” Christina Mentzer told KPIC-TV.
“So people are looking for propane, people are looking for gasoline, people are looking for water. Today they’re asking, but as of right now essentially what’s going on is they’re going around town finding where they can get stuff if it gets that bad.”
Amtrak train stuck in Oregon since Sunday is moving again