A mechanical problem shut down trains at Denver International Airport for nearly two hours Wednesday afternoon, leaving hundreds of travelers stuck in traffic and some missing their flights.
The disruption began at 2:42 p.m., airport officials said in a post on social media site X. Travelers posted photos showing the disruptions, including people waiting for trains and frowning at their smartphones.
Train service resumed at 4:00 p.m. with limited capacity, and full service resumed at around 4:30 p.m., airport officials said.
The unspecified mechanical problem “damaged a section of track,” DIA officials said in an email. “Technicians repaired the damaged section in just over an hour. Trains were able to run during that time, but at reduced capacity, resulting in crowding at security checkpoints and on platforms.”
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration added additional staff at checkpoints to speed up travel. Airport officials said the security checkpoint at the bridge would remain open until 6:30 p.m.
Airport officials said they were not aware of any flights being delayed because of the train breakdown.
For Sydney Balsamo and her two friends from Denver, who were leaving for Labor Day weekend, the delay was first felt in the security check, which took more than an hour, Balsamo said. Then they entered a crowded waiting area on the train and tried to reach Concourse C for their Southwest Airlines flight to Chicago, she said. They missed that and then another, hastily rebooked flight.
“We have now missed two flights,” Balsamo said at around 4.40 p.m.
“But we’ve already booked a third flight. This has definitely changed our travel plans. We’ve taken time off work. And now we just have to sit in the airport for another five hours,” she said.
“The communication was really bad. We were informed that there were train cancellations. Then we heard from some security officials that they were holding back flights. Then we were notified by Southwest that our flight had taken off.”
Trains ran every 15 minutes instead of the usual 2 minutes, she said.
Security checkpoints in the south and west of the DIA continued to operate despite the train disruption.
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