Hundreds of commuters stranded across the regional rail system

BRYN MAWR, Pa. (WPVI) -- A quick squall of storms crippled commuters riding SEPTA Wednesday night.

Debris in the tracks and downed trees disrupted four of SEPTA's lines, and left some passengers waiting for over an hour on board the trains, many of whom took drastic measures to get home.

Losing patience, passengers were spotted hurrying across the tracks, walking the rails to the Bryn Mawr station platform.

Michael Considine said, "People just started getting off. There were hundreds and hundreds on the track."

When asked how long he had to wait, Considine said, "Over an hour."

Andrew Crum of Thorndale said, "It's been pretty rough."

The train was one of many on the Paoli- Thorndale line, stopped in its tracks after a squall of evening storms, downed trees that caused power and signal issues at the height of evening rush.

Those on board suffered through delays of over an hour.

"I just followed the crowd. I think SEPTA needs to do a better job just training their employees because everyone was just sitting there for a long time. And there was just no information given," a commuter said.

Pranodi Praha of Berwyn said, "What do you do? They don't even make announcements - not that often - just we're on hold, we're on hold, that's it."

Passengers on board could be seen waiting, even waving to Action News cameras, while those on the platform were left with more questions than answers.

The Paoli Line was one of four SEPTA lines crippled by the storm, down wires, suspended service on the Fox Chase Line, and delayed those heading to Warminster and Wilmington.

Another commuter said, "How is this public transportation, if one 5 minute storm can shut you down like that."

Amtrak owns the line, and workers were on scene trying to fix the signal issues.

But that was little comfort to those on stranded, trying to get home.

The passengers did eventually make it home, and SEPTA says it plans to work to make sure Thursday morning runs smoothly.

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