Amtrak Train Unloaded in Fredericksburg Due to Suspicious Luggage

Amtrak and VRE commuter trains suffered delays in Fredericksburg on Thursday morning after a call regarding a suspicious package on the train.

An Amtrak train conductor contacted Fredericksburg Police Thursday morning regarding a suspicious package left on a train heading northbound from Richmond to Washington, D.C.

At approximately 7 a.m., the conductor noticed a passenger left his luggage at the train station in Richmond as he boarded the train for Washington, D.C. The conductor brought the passenger his luggage as a courtesy, but was told by the passenger that he intended to leave his luggage at the station. The conductor informed him that was not allowed, so the passenger agreed to take his luggage on the train with him.

Nevertheless, the conductor found the passenger’s behavior to be odd, and contacted authorities as a result.

When the train arrived at the Fredericksburg Train Station on its way to D.C., the conductor requested all passengers exit the train except for the suspicious passenger who tried to leave his luggage in Richmond.

Fredericksburg Police secured the area around the train station and law enforcement personnel began to investigate the scene. The suspect voluntarily exited the train with his luggage, and police demanded he lay his luggage on the ground, with which the passenger complied.

Police took the suspect into custody without incident, and after further investigation it was determined the luggage did not contain any suspicious items. Police also performed a sweep of the train but found no suspicious items.

The suspect was later taken to the Fredericksburg Police Department where he was interviewed by detectives. Eventually, it was determined the suspect did not commit any crime and was released from police custody.

The Fredericksburg Police Department noted that the Fredericksburg Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia State Police, Stafford Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Amtrak Police and CSX Police aided in the investigation.