A glitch in Amtrak's nationwide computer system Saturday had a big effect at Penn Station Sunday, causing long waits and long lines for passengers.

“I'm late for school now,” said one traveler. “My college starts tomorrow and so I'm not going to make it home in time and up to college. But it’s OK. The first day isn't usually that important.”

The glitch impacted communications within Amtrak, meaning in some cases, crews couldn't speak with each other.

Most importantly, it also affected ticket kiosks, where passengers can buy tickets or retrieve reservations.

Passengers tried, in vain, to get the system to start only to get a blank screen staring back at them.

"All the people are looking distracted and they think they're working and they're shoving their cards in and out and they don't say 'out of service,'" said Amtrak passenger Denise Beaumont.

It wasn't just the wait that had passengers frustrated here this weekend. Many say that Amtrak was too slow to let them know what was going on.

"It's inevitable that there will be computer breakdowns and system malfunctions, but what we were taking about earlier is that nobody was walking up and down the line just to tell people what's going on," added Amtrak passenger Victor Shopov.

Shopov said he and other passengers had to rely on word of mouth to get any information.

The railroad did announce changes periodically over a loudspeaker, but Shopov says that wasn't enough.

“That was the first announcement I've heard the entire time I've been sitting here,” said Shopov. “So, I think it would have been a little bit more helpful if they had been more approachable about the whole thing and let people know, Îthis is what the situation is; if you’re this kind of a person, go here; if you already have a ticket, go there. They didn't do any of that.”

Amtrak did not immediately comment on communications with travelers.

Supervisors say they had their hands full dealing with individual travelers and manually issuing train tickets.

But for Shopov this may the last time he goes through a situation like this.

“The takeaway is take the damn bus the next time — that's the takeaway,” said Shopov.

— Lily Jamali