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VIA Rail train with 210 passengers on board stops near Alexandria, Ont. due to engine failure

A VIA Rail train arrives at the Fallowfield Station on Friday. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa) A VIA Rail train arrives at the Fallowfield Station on Friday. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

More than 200 passengers were stuck on a VIA Rail train near Alexandria, Ont. for several hours Sunday evening, after a mechanical issue stopped the train.

VIA Rail says train 37 stopped approximately "half a mile away from the Alexandria station" due to an engine failure.

The train with 210 passengers on board was travelling from Montreal to Ottawa when it stopped, with it originally scheduled to arrive in Ottawa at 6:35 p.m.

"Another VIA train will push the train to Alexandria station to allow passengers to disembark while they await another train to take them to their final destinations," VIA Rail said in a statement at 8:40 p.m.

One passenger on board train 37 said on Twitter that the air conditioning was not working on the train.

Passengers on social media reported VIA Rail train 39 (Montreal to Ottawa) towed train 37 to Ottawa. The VIA Rail train tracker showed the two trains were scheduled to arrive at the Ottawa Train Station just before 11 p.m.

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