( CNN ) Talk about a traveler 's nightmare . Amtrak passengers cooled their heels -- and the rest of their bodies -- for 13½ hours before their train finally pulled out of Chicago 's Union Station on Thursday morning . `` I had on leggings , a pair of wool socks , winter boots , a long-sleeve shirt , zip-up pullover , a fleece , a winter down jacket , hat , gloves and scarf , '' said passenger Kristine Charbonneau . `` I ended up adding my sweatpants and blankets . '' Some of the Amtrak passengers shivered inside Union Station during the wait , she said . `` They had the heat turned down , '' Charbonneau said . `` Finally at 3 a.m. the facilities guy came in here and turned up heat — said he did it before morning rush hour . We were freezing down there . `` People were begging for food , '' she said . `` They finally brought snacks for us . '' The delay for Amtrak 48/448 was caused by mechanical problems , including frozen brakes , said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari . Winter weather caused other transportation problems , especially in the Midwest . More than 400 flights were canceled Thursday at Chicago O'Hare and Midway airports , said the Chicago Department of Aviation , and the Minnesota State Patrol reported 589 auto crashes . The Iowa Department of Transportation said a dozen snowplows were involved in crashes with other vehicles , according to the agency 's Facebook page . In Chicago , the Amtrak assengers arrived at the station expecting the train to leave at 9:30 p.m. Wednesday . After the long wait , the train finally headed to New York and Boston at 11:08 a.m. Thursday , he said . It 's expected to arrive about 5:30 a.m. Friday at Penn Station in New York , he said . Amtrak sold 144 tickets for the train , plus another 20 that will go to Boston only . Magliari said waiting passengers could sit in the station or on the train , which has sleeping compartments and reclining seats . `` We fed people and had hot chocolate and drinks , of course , on the train , '' he said . To add to their frustration , the passengers endured a false start toward their destination . The train initially left Chicago about 8 a.m. Thursday , but Norfolk Southern realized train employees had been on the clock too long , said Robin Chapman , director of public relations for Norfolk Southern . The train was ordered back to Union Station for a fresh crew , Chapman said . `` Amtrak 48 was ready to go but it was 10.5 hours late because it had had an engine failure , '' Chapman said . `` The crew only had 15 minutes left on their service time because of the hours of service regulation . We could not let them go . '' For the passengers , it was one more thing . `` We passed White Sox Stadium and stopped for about half an hour , '' Charbonneau said . `` Our conductor got back on and said that our replacement crew can only work for so many hours . ... There were some people who were really upset . '' Amtrak will offer refunds , Magliari said . Charbonneau said she 'll be demanding one . Amtrak rolls out writers ' residency .
Mechanical problems cause delay of 13.5 hours from scheduled departure time . One passenger says Union Station was unheated during some of their wait .