Hundreds stuck on Amtrak trains

Nearly 400 people remained trapped Friday on two Amtrak passenger trains that were stranded in the snowy Northern California mountains after a large snow plow fell through the tracks, officials said.

Amtrak’s California Zephyr passenger trains were stranded near Donner Pass about 2 p.m. after a large plow being used to clear the tracks fell through a walkway and blocked the trains’ path, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero. One train started in Emeryville on its way to Chicago, and the other was on its way back, she said.

Amtrak was trying to summon buses to nearby towns to evacuate passengers, but has had little luck because many of the vehicles are in Arizona for the Super Bowl, Romero said.