>> i like amtrak food. [laughter] it takes a long time on amtrak to go from new york to washington. that is how i travel generally. from washington to new york in the new york to albany. i park in old exterior and out the knee so it can drive over to rome because there's not enough service. service wasto be about the new. i usually eat on the train. i eat hamburgers. i like their hot dogs. i like amtrak food. i like it on the long distance train. it is normally good. some of this new panini or whatever you call it -- itself stimulate that might be what he is talking about. i am ok with that going, my cell. wself. people focus on trying to improve food. we like to me sure that happens. >> what about skycaps? this questioner says they are wonderful but they must be tostly in a highcos operation. how long can they be justified at amtrak? in washingtons get their workout. they finally learned that not everybody who's coming in the front door wants to go to amtrak. some want to go upstairs to the buses. that was not part of the deal. we have a lot of people that absolutely need help with

i like amtrak food. it's generally good appearing at some of this, it sounds to me like that is what he might be talking about, i'm okay with that going, myself, but we do have people that are focused on trying to improve food, and we would like to make sure that that happens. this question are calls them wonderful but says they must be costly in a high-cost operation where the competitors don't have them. how long can they be justified at amtrak? >> i will tell you, down here in washington they get their workout. they finally learned not everybody that is coming in the front door once to come to amtrak. some of them want to go to the buses and that wasn't a part of the deal. so, we have a lot of people that absolutely need help with the amount of baggage and what they want to do to get on the train. we see it as an important part of customer service on the train >> we have questions on long-distance service. let's make sure that we get in one of those. can you comment on the significance of those in the

food? a questioner who calls himself or herself a foodie and a frequent amtrak passenger says the quality ofd on amtrak is quote subpar at best. the questionnaire asks how tough is it to serve a decent sandwich that doesn't look like it would shrink wrapped for days before we serve him what amtrak's plans to improve quality? >> i live in rome new york and it takes a long time on amtrak to go from rome new york to washington and that is how i traveled generally from washington to new york and from new york to albany usually an xterra and albany so i can try to rome. there is hardly any service west of albany. i usually eat on the train. ie hamburgers and i like their hot dogs. i like amtrak food and i like it on the long-distance trains. it's generally good. some of this new panini or whatever you call it, it sounds to me like that might be woody's talking about. i'm okay with that going myself. [laughter] we do have people that are focused on trying to improve food and we would like to make sure that happens. >> what about skycaps? this questioner calls them wonderful but says they must beca

i like amtrak food even on the one distance trade -- trains even this panini. i am okay with that going myself. [laughter] but people are focused trying to improve food and we like to make sure that happens. >> what about skycaps they must be costly where competitors don't have them how long can they be justified at amtrak? >> the redcaps get their workout they finally learned not everybody wants to go to eric track someone to go to the bus and that was not part of the deal. some people absolutely need help with the baggage what they've wanted to recede as the important part of customer surface on the train. >> we have a bunch of questions of long-distance surface. comment on the significance of those routes in the context of the legislation and you hope to see. >> we served over 500 stations in the united states. over 300 have no other surface they an amtrak. buses are gone, aviation cutback and we are the public transportation. if you are somebody who is my age with grandchildren eric your grandchildren are on one coast or the other you can probably get somebo

reporter: more than 500 people spent 14 hours stranded on 3 amtrak trains stuck in a snowbank in rural illinois. they had power but limited food. and the bathroom situation, less than ideal. they were finally bussed to chicago. >> i'm exhausted. and i haven't had much to eat. >> reporter: surviving this storm has a whole new meaning for this young mother. she gave birth to her first child all by herself. at home. when no one could get to her. >> her due date was not until the 21st. i think she wanted to see the blizzard. she didn't want to miss out. >> reporter: although millions of adults wish they could have missed the last few days, especially those like john bandy, who, tonight, are still shivering in the dark. ryan owens, abc news, indianapolis. >>> a lot of people huddled at home have been using electric heaters, ovens and lighting fires to stay warm. some of them hazards. and abc's gio benitez spent the day with the firemen trying to fight fires in the freeze. >> reporter: on those frozen front lines, firefighters battle more than just the blaze. those icy dangers. watch, a chicago firefighter just trying to work. slips

reporter: more than 500 people spent 14 hours stranded on three amtrak trains stuck in a snow bank in rural illinois. they had power but limited foodeal. they were finally bushed to chicago. >> i'm exhausted, and i haven't had much to eat. >> reporter: surviving the storm has a whole new meaning for this young mother. she gave birth to her first child all by herself at home, when no one could get to her. >> her due date wasn't until the 21st. i think she wanted to see the blizzard. she didn't want to miss out. >> reporter: some adults wanted to miss the last few days, especially those like john, still shivering in the dark. abc news, indianapolis. >> here is the way the forecast is shaping up. some of those bitterly cold conditions will begin easing up today, especially in the south and much of the midwest. of course blizzard conditions will continue in the upper northeast. especially around buffalo and syracuse. and rain moves into the northwest. >> temperatures still very frigid around the great lakes. 4 degrees will be the high in minneapolis. and mostly 20s and 30s in the rest of the midwest and northeast. >>> efforts to renew

amtrak trains, 80 miles west of chicago. trapping more than 500 passengers aboard. the tracks were closed due to snow blowing across the tracks. passengers have food and heat. they may have been better off than thousand who is are without power and warmth. more than 61 million have been asked to conserve electricity. tracie potts is in the middle of it all, to show us how people are coping. >> reporter: it's actually warmer in minneapolis this morning, 33 below zero with the wind chill. minnesota's got some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost come-ons top of record snow that closed indiana's major interstate, several counties are in a state of emergency. in milwaukee, power crews are out in it trying to keep the lights on. >> just got to do your job. >> reporter: the arctic hurricane known as a polar vortex dipped into the deep south causing power outages in dallas and snow in georgia. >> i've been out sweeping and just kind of cleaning some of this off of my car. >> pretty fun tee see people all bundled up. >> reporter: shelters opened in atlanta. >> there is no way you can survive living out there in a tent with th

they realize this was not amtrak, it was mother nature behind this and they were warm. they were fed what foodt. i think if it had gone a little bit longer, you would have had some problems. but there were no health issues, according to amtrak and the folks we talked to by and large were happy, believe it or not, were happy to arrive here in frigid sub-zero chicago. this was their final destination, so their were happy to get here. all in all, most of them had a pretty good attitude. but one woman did say she could no longer feel her derriere because she was sitting on it for 20-plus hours. >> bless her. ted rowlands, thank you. we'll be talking to one of those passengers who will finally be home in chicago we hope by next hour, so stay tuned for that. windchills so cold, you could get frostbite in mere minutes. the walk from your car into work could just downright be painful. but imagine living out in that kind of cold. in topeka, kansas, a rescue mission took to the streets to pick up the homeless, taking them to motels, just to stay warm for the night. >> grateful for everybody that's helpi

amtrak says for now, the safest place to be is on those trains. >> it's been a pretty rough night out there on the railroad. and supplies, food, there's power on the trains and so the safest course of action is really for them to stay where they are. >> reporter: amtrak is trying to figure out how to tow the trains. one option, to actually put them on the highways. that wouldn't work so well here in indiana where the governor shut down the interstates for a time monday. air travel, just look at this picture i snapped from the airplane after landing in indianapolis. hundreds are stranded here. an squup date now on the train passengers stranded next door in illinois. amtrak has finally managed to begin rescuing some of those 500-plus people. they've brought in buses. they'll now take those to chicago. quite a journey home, george. >> i'll bet. ryan, thank you very much. thank goodness for that. >>> this record-breaking cold is not just causing travel headaches. it can kill. alex perez has more on what you can do to stay safe. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, george. it's a staggering 14 degrees below zero here in

amtrak, we're going to celebrate a billion dollars this year in a dozen years, in food-service losses, for which we passed a law that you cannot spend money and lose money. tsa, tom, we were here when we created. started off with 16,500. we have 15,000 administrators, and 66,000 employees, totally out of control. haida, another example, set up the target of the high intensity drug trafficking area, some of those are still going on. it's a game that's been played. i think it's constant oversight. i think it is released we did 1600 hearings in the house, you've got to keep going after the bastards until you're successful. i don't anything else you can do spent senator carper spent i spent a lot of years in my life as a naval flight officer active and reserve duty to when we're going to do something, it's like having an aircraft carrier. takes a long time but you keep at it. is like changing an aircraft engine when the aircraft is in flight. that's really hard. last night i was invited to speak to a bunch of students come down here for part of a semester, interns, doing internships, cost

amtrak trains, 80 miles west of chicago, trapping more than 500 passengers on board overnight. the tracks were closed due to the snow, blowing across the tracks. passengers reportedly still had foodk under a blizzard morning. think that happens a lot there. it's the first time since 1993 they had a blizzard warning. winds gust up to 60 miles per hour that means white-out conditions, almost zero visibility. portions of the new york state thruway are closed. >> it's cold to look at the pictures. temperatures taking a dive in our nation's capital. >> tracie potts out in the elements on the streets of washington, d.c. how many layers do people have to wear? how many are you wearing? >> reporter: one for every hour we've been out here minus one. so we're trying to stay warm here. it was in the low, very low single digits when we got out here this morning. it's warmed up a bit. we're probably in the low teens, this is nothing like what they are experiencing in the midwest. it's actually warmer in minneapolis this morning, 33 below zero with the wind chill. minnesota's got some of the coldest temperatures in the nation today. the midwest frost comes on top of record snow that closed ind

amtrak and we're going to celebrate a billion dollars this year in a dozen years in food-service losses, for which we passed a law that you cannot spend money and lose money. tsa, tom, we were here when we created it, start out with 16,500. we have 15,000 administrators and 66,000 employees, totally out of control. another example set up to target high intensity drug trafficking areas. some of those are still going on and it's a game that's been played. i think it's constant oversight. i think they just released we did 1600 innings in the house. you've got to keep going after the bastards until you're successful. i don't know anything else you can do. >> senator carper. >> i spent a lot of years as a naval flight officer. when we're going to do something hard in a we seize it is like training and air flight carrier. takes a long time. if you keep at it you can turn them. it's like change in aircraft engine when the aircraft is in play. that's really hard. last night i was invited to speak to budget university delaware students who were down here for part of the semester. they're doing i

food. so -- and we were warm. and that was the most important thing. so -- and we're safely home now. >> reporter: the vast majority of passengers we talked to say this wasn't amtrak's this was mother nature. they understand it. it wasn't very comfortable. one person said she couldn't feel her back side after sitting for 20-plus hours. but all in all, nobody was injured. and it was uncomfortable, but they're safe now. >> all right. that's good. and good to see you in a hat. some of those passengers there looked kind of cold, needed more to bundle up there. thanks, ted. appreciate it. i want to bring in alina machado here in atlanta. and, you know, coming into work today, it was 7 degrees. it's like no other day i've ever experienced here. how are you doing? >> reporter: it's rough out here, suzanne. i'm not going to lie. it's been -- it's bitter, frigid, and these temperatures are also down right dangerous, and that's a big reason why this church, for example, opened up its doors today, to let people who are homeless come in and seek refuge from these temperatures. we want to show you some video from inside the church that we shot a little while ago which shows the