Are we getting a direct Chicago to Miami train?
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- Опубліковано 26 жов 2024
- There are rumors that Amtrak may combine their Capitol Limited and Silver Star trains into one long train that runs directly from Chicago to Miami, through Washington DC. This would start in November. Find out more by watching this video!
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8:03 I've been calling it the "Silver Limited" since I first heard about it. Sounds like a good name.
I like "The Capitol Star". I grew up in DC, so I have an attachment to "Capitol" in "Capitol Limited".
@@thomasstambaugh5181Capitol Star sounds better, I agree.
@@thomasstambaugh5181 "Capitol Star" sounds good.
I have taken the Empire Builder twice from Chicago to Seattle and the Lake Shore Limited once from New York to Chicago. Flexible dining is simply awful and I will never take an Amtrak train that has it. The traditional dining on the western services, on the other hand, is simply outstanding. By the way, it is UA-camrs such as yourself who motivated me to do these trips. I have also taken the Caledonian sleeper from Inverness to London, which was quite an excellent experience.
Flexible dining goes beyond awful to become wretched.
I used to work for Amtrak at the 14th street yard in chicago; our job was to check inventory at the end of Amtrak trips and order more supplies, and usually we'd check stock on the trains while they're moving out to the yard. The flex dining meals looked absolutely revolting. They were basically frozen bricks of food that looked like they were prepared months ago. We had to throw away so many of those when checking because they were either expired or the seal was broken. You are much better off packing your own food if you can. The traditional dining experience is way better because since it actually stocks fresh ingredients. The only things that are frozen is raw meat.
I find the food to be so disappointing that I would rather stay overnight in a city and ride coach. I don't get it as they could feature regional classics and local produce
Update: It's confirmed, Amtrak will replace the Capitol Limited & Silver Star with the 'Floridian', giving Amtrak it's first Chicago to Florida train since 1979
Love the enthusiasm of the kid at 8:42! Looking forward to watching your Capitol Limited trip on Saturday!
I agree about the Texas Eagle. That train needs not only the observation car back, but it needs more coaches and an extra sleeping car at least. It used to have 3 sleeping cars, a dinning car, observation car and about 3 to 4 coaches. Then they would add a car between Chicago and St.Louis.
I was just on the Texas Eagle. When I asked our coach attendant about the Sightseer Lounge returning, he replied with “It should be in the spring plan.”
A third coach and another sleeper has been added to the Texas Eagle on the days when the train is carrying the through cars from Chicago to LAX or vice versa. The through cars are at the back of the train.
Thanks for posting this interesting and well-investigated video. Chicago to Miami on Amtrak would be absolutely awesome!!!
I really appreciate the thorough and detailed nature of this video. It's the kind of thing railfans really appreciate.
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I never knew it could possibly happen like that. I’d like for there to be a Chicago to Miami train that would stop in both Nashville and Chattanooga.
I’d like that too
And Atlanta.
Hope there would also be a Dalton, GA stop, on a Nashville to Atlanta train. It's a bummer that this route hasn't had passenger rail service, since pre-Amtrak.
@@PaulCashman Yeah that for sure too. I live in Chattanooga so that’s why I mentioned those two major cities in Tennessee.
@@BoratWanksta Yeah I can see that. That’s a good place for the train to stop as it is less than an hour from Chattanooga, meaning it’d probably be next after that.
Well, according to reports that I'm seeing online, it looks like the route will actually be called "The Floridian". Unfortunately, they aren't saving the name for the train that took the original Floridian route, but at least we have a name for it. Like you, I wish they could have saved it, but now it looks like the combination route is actually now going to happen and not speculation any more.
I’m from North Carolina and the idea of a direct connection from Raleigh to Chicago is so exciting to me! I wanted to take this trip a few months ago but having to do an overnight “layover” in DC made the trip not feasible for me
Too bad my apartment is too small to host you haha
In the last days of passenger service on the Union Pacific, they combined all the western cities streamliners into one huge train that split apart into branches to Denver, Los Angeles, and so on. It was pejoratively nicknamed the "City of Everywhere." Seems like a good name for a train that goes from Chicago to Miami via Cleveland, Washington D.C., Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa!
I took the Capital Limited in 2017 and enjoyed the real food in the dining car. I was sad to hear about the menu change. Hopefully cooked food comes back to this route.
I really hope so too, this train is becoming my regular
You can blame the Republicans in Congress for this ongoing nightmare. In their continuing quest to make Amtrak service so bad they can kill it off, they mandated about 25 years ago that food service had to cover all of it's costs, which never was true when the freight railroads ran passenger trains. It was always considered an amenity to increase ridership. When I worked for Amtrak in the 80's and 90's they cared enough about long-distance food service to send all of their chefs to "the other CIA", the Culinary Institute of America, for advanced training, and it showed. Of course most of the few overnight trains in Europe now only have either a limited cafe menu or just vending machines, if any food service at all. However, most of their stations have extensive choices of food service vendors and stores to choose your on-board meal from before you board. From what I've seen on YT, if you want a good dining car meal in Europe, ride Poland's PKP. Right now, I'd advise anyone going to Chicago from the East (if you're not in a sleeper where meals are included) to plan on skipping the "Amgrub" and going a couple of blocks from Chicago Union Station to Lou Mitchell's Restaurant, open for breakfast and lunch. It's where the OBS crews go to eat after a trip.
I like the Silver Limited name.
It would be interesting to see the CL have amfleets instead of superliners if this becomes a reality. And yes, the westbound routes definitely need the superliners, so it would be a win win.
Looking forward to seeing your trip report on the CL this coming Saturday. I take the Pennsylvanian a few times a year out of Pittsburgh and always arrive at the station early to see the CL come in (as well as watch the CL on various railcams as well).
I am hoping that at some point in the future, the original Floridian route is restored, giving rail transportation to that much-needed corridor.
I'd like a service between Chicago-Miami via Louisville & Nashville, less for Chicago-Miami passengers but moreso for Louisville and Nashville, because they don't have any Inter city rail.
Louisville briefly had the Amtrak Kentucky Cardinal service, between there and Indy. Sadly Amtrak eliminated this train years ago, I think in the early 2000s? I'm also aware of the Amtrak Floridan(pre-Amtrak, called the South Wind) route, which got eliminated in 1979.
@@BoratWankstaThe Kentucky Cardinal most likely failed for the same reason the Floridian was cut. The tracks it had to use to get to Louisville were not in good shape causing a slow schedule. So that portion of the route never reached a good level of ridership.
They should retain the Silver Star name. Capitol anything would imply that the Capital of the US is the terminus, which it isn’t anymore.
Why would it imply terminus? It’s named after the Capitol, a building that this new train would directly run underneath, something the Capitol Limited currently doesn’t.
Maybe a new name altogether. What might the SAL have called it (They already had Silver Meteor and Silver Star for NYC to Miami and Silver Comet for NYC to NOLA)? So ... Chicago to Miami via DC?
Are there *still* no full service diners on most of the eastern trains? Cr*p.
@@fjkelley4774 full service diners only on the silvers I’m afraid
@@Thom-TRA I think it should be called The Silver Palm and it should be part of the Silver Service and it would be the first Silver Service train to have a train from Chicago to Miami, the Silver Star and Silver Meteor should be kept in the Silver Service as they are the two Silver Service trains from New York to Miami
Plus! I think Amtrak should head for MiamiCentral to have connections with Brightline and Tri-Rail
It should still have full service diner since it’ll be using viewliners
Thom for President of Amtrak... He will get things running right!
Haha no pressure
I’m definitely gonna ride this sometime thanks for posting about this
You’re welcome!
One of my Amtrak groups just posted. On November 10th the Floridian is bookable between Miami and Chicago. It is train 40 and 41. It's done. And as a Columbia SC resident I am excited.
For sure you got the best video on this topic. I went on my first trip from Miami to Newark on the Silver Meteor/Star and it was amazing. We did the roomette coming back and it was awesome, especially the traditionally dinning. Would love the option to Chicago and that even paves the way to be able to transfer to western long distance routes. Hopefully Amtrak will give more info soon.
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this information. I've been interested in the routes to Florida. I keep hoping for a more "direct" route from Michigan to FLorida in the future.
I would argue they shouldn't. It could work Chicago to Florida (currently a 2 hour transfer), but not the other way as the schedules don't really match up (Tampa to Chicago right now can only be booked in 3 segments). Plus it negatively impacts those who take the Pennsylvanian and transfer to the CL in Pittsburgh (have known people who did that before). It would be better if Amtrak just went all-in on a dedicated Chicago to Miami train.
The schedules work really well northbound, there would be a 1.5 hour layover in DC.
The rumors have definitely been circulating on Amtrak Facebook Groups.
Two people said they’re just sharing equipment, with train numbers staying the same and an OBS crew change in DC. If going south, train 30 Capitol Limited becomes 91 Silver Star. Regular 29/30 and 91/92 operations would resume near the end of 2025.
Another guy said the Silver Star will no longer exist and become the Floridian, with train numbers 40/41 and permanent thru-service from Chicago-Miami. *I hope this will be the true rumor.*
Tbh I wonder if there’s a final plan yet
I would be in favor of resuming through coach and sleeping car service between New York and Florida as soon as possible even if the primary pattern is Chicago to Florida, as there is quite a bit of demand for New York to Florida travel. Frankly, it would be wise to add sleeping cars between Boston and Florida in the fall through spring at least, although all-year would be better still for business travelers in addition to those taking Florida vacations, or heading North for some skiing and walking in a winter wonderland.
here after the second guy was correct
I'd love to see this train go south to Pensacola. Then east to Jacksonville and Miami.
It's insane that Nashville has no Amtrak service...
Absolutely
@tmcb the only passenger service that Nashville has is the we go star and it's not the best from what I've seen.
There used to be a nice old L&N station there.
It truly sucks! Especially if you want to travel to nearby cities like Atlanta without a car, you're stuck with Greyhound or paying inflated airfare.
@@caleboutlar8260 yeah
This topic has been covered in Trains Magazine and on other UA-cam channels, and I'm glad to hear your views on it. I've taken The Capitol Limited a few times, but not since real dining car food was discontinued. Wasn't the observation car also removed?
As for the name, Silver Star has its own heritage. It, like the Silver Meteor, was a Seaboard Airline Railroad train to Florida. There was also a Silver Comet to Birmingham.
If track space at New York Penn is an issue, how about a New York section of the combined train being carried in a Northeast Regional consist? A late train from Miami could be added to the next available departure.
I like the idea of attaching it to a regional. But will they do that? Nah, it makes too much sense.
Yes, the Cap has lost its observation car too.
@@Thom-TRAI agree with you, it would be very nice. I have heard that the reason they don’t like adding and dropping cars much is that now, with electrical Head End Power instead of steam heating/vacuum+ice air conditioning and axle generators, (and MU cables on the trains that have them) they have more trouble with the connections between cars. This would also explain why they are gravitating towards rakes of coaches that are held together by drawbars or Jacobs bogies, despite the resulting inflexibility and dependence upon predictive maintenance.
Yes come November 2024. Awaiting CSX approval to change schedule between Miami and DC. Train will be 40/41
Hope this happens even though delays will likely be a huge problem. And the single level Viewliners would not be a good choice long term though I understand the argument for freeing Superliners for the west. Makes so much more sense to restore the Floridian route. Years ago there were teasers of an auto train from Chicago to Florida which would be wonderful. The problem with Amtrak will always be the slow speeds on freight rails and of course the interference.
Turns out you were right on the money!! I immediately remembered this video when I read the news today. Very impressive sleuthing on your part. My hat is tipped.
Thanks! I didn’t do it all by myself, I had some friends help!
If there was a direct Amtrak service from Atlanta to Miami I would ride it yearly to see my family in Florida.
I would prefer an Atlanta route myself, though the "through Birmingham" was the old L&N way while Atlanta was (as I recall) the NC&StL route (but that was an L&N subsidary). Southern also used Atlanta. The last time I rode the Crescent to NOLA there was an old Harriman baggage car on a disused siding in the Birmingham station. Too rusted to tell the original road.
That would be great to have a direct Train service from Chicago to
Miami, via Louisville, Nashville, Birmingham, and Montgomery,Alabama
Please do this Amtrak. This would be an easy way for me to visit my dad and hit up the Orlando parks while I’m there.
Excited to see if this happens or not! If the rumors are true then this would definitely be huge news.
Amtrak's Floridian was never routed through Indianapolis 0:20. It went direct between Lafayette, IN & Bloomington, IN, bypassing Indianapolis. In days of old (pre-Amtrak) there was the Dixie Flyer that was routed from Chicago via Terre Haute, IN, via Atlanta & final destination Miami, FL. AFAIK, there was never a Chicago - Miami passenger train that included stops at both Indianapolis & Atlanta, GA. The main reason the Floridian was discontinued was the multiple sections of deteriorated track that limited train speeds which had to be kept
Yes it did, until 1974. I do my research you know 😉
That new Auto-Train route is quite intriguing. I’m not sure what the best way to handle intermediate stops at major points would be, whether entirely separate trains (which would increase flexibility at the expense of increased equipment requirements) or setting out strings of autoracks at intermediate points.
This would mean that I could take the train to visit my brother in Tennessee! Awesome!
This train wouldn’t serve TN…
@@Thom-TRA I need to pay better attention. I know there is talk of one serving that area. I cannot wait for these routes to be restored. Amtrak is teasing us!
I feel this is a good compromise to provide direct train service between Chicago and Miami. While it will hurt through passengers going to northeast cities there are plenty of possible connecting trains at Washington DC. The only problem I see is continuing a good service between Washington DC and Chicago. Any new schedule from Miami must consider possible delays to and from Washington DC if Amtrak wants to keep the business they get due to the good overnight schedule to and from Chicago. On the positive side getting rid of the Superliners may provide more capacity to the WashingtonnDC to Chicago portion of the route since in the past the Capitol Ltd. has been constrained due to the lack of Superliner cars.
Maybe I could experience the Auto Train by riding it Northbound and Southbound the next day. By that I mean board the train in Sanford. Ride to Lorton in one night. Get off in Lorton. Immediately re board in Lorton and ride back to Sanford. I didn’t plan on adding priority offloading at each station as that would add so much fees. Wish me luck.
Way before Amtrak Illinois Central connected Chicago and Miami in just 29,5 Hours, by means of the 'City of Miami '. It had some sections of very fast running, reaching a top speed of 100 Mph
Who did they pass the train to after it left IC territory?
@@Thom-TRACentral of Georgia, Atlantic coast line(1940-1967), Seaboard Coast line(1967-1971), & Florida East Coast(1940-1963).
Obviously the days of 100 mph running are over unless you want to wait years for Track and signal upgrades. Canadian National has already caused problems over their route as is. So will they cooperate with Amtrak to add another train. You also have to look at if they still have the ability to route east of the Canadian National to reach the Florida stations. So while I agree a direct route from Chicago to Florida stations would be best at least this new routing via Washington DC provides a one seat ride to get to Florida. It also offers other midwest cities a direct ride to or from Florida.
In fact, there were three trains on three different routes serving Chicago to Florida, alternating between days so there was daily service at the endpoints. I believe there was also a fourth train briefly. Among these was Dixie Flagler, which used the lines of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois, Louisville and Nashville, Atlantic Coast Line (and some of the subsidiaries of these two companies), and Florida East Coast. It also carried through cars for the ACL West Coast Champion.
The South Wind, a Pennsy train via Louisville and Nashville and Birmingham also did it in about the same time.
If it does happen I'm booking the first possible SEA-CHI-WDC-MIA. What a great way to spend almost a week.
Epic
That sounds like hell as a Floridian who moved to the Pacific NW. I have had the Empire Builder delayed by 10 hrs to get from Seattle to Spokane lol
@@GirtonOramsay it would only be so bad for someone like me if the train got stuck with no heating/air conditioning or electricity in a spot with no or bad cellular signal, the bathrooms were out of order, and they ran out of food. As long as I have power, a decent Internet connection, and climate control, I’d just browse the web, play games, or read something if I was not taking a walk through the train for exercise.
Wow, I just read about this for the first time the other day. And there you are--spot-on current! Way to go, Thom!
I loved the old B&O Capitol Limited. It had dome cars, lounge cars for coach and sleeping car passengers, and if you stayed up late in the evening, it went right through a steel mill in Pittsburgh! In the morning, coming in to Washington, it ran along the Potomac River which was covered in mist! I'll be looking for your review of the new Capitol Limited to see how it compares.
Oh I promise you it won’t be anything like the B&O train 😅
not gonna happen
@@Thom-TRA You are so right! 🤢
Brilliant video sir, good to see you behaving yaself n Lyndsey being daft!
As a Pittsburgher, this new train would make it easier to get to Florida, but I agree - it would likely increase delays. I think I’d prefer that Amtrak swap out the Superliners with Viewliners on the Capitol Limited while temporarily diverting the Silver Star to Chicago during the construction on the East River Tunnels, creating twice-daily service between Chicago and Washington, DC while freeing up Superliners for the Western routes. I don’t expect it to happen, but fingers crossed! 🤞
Me and my dad were wishing for an Atlanta to Chicago train (I.e a modern Floridian) for years now. Looks like we are getting a Georgia to Chicago train but not in the way we expected. Time to drive to from Gainesville to Savannah I guess lol
I’m sure it’ll happen someday
First long distance train trip in the US: Get off a flight from Ushuaia, via Bolivia, to Miami. Grab a taxi to get a Greyhound to NY. Driver says "Probably better to go by train",. I'm in no hurry , so we go to the station. Ist class sleeper amazingly cheap (food, etc.) judged by my expectations. Cool trip along the coast. Train joins with train from the west and a party begins. Anytime I'm in North America and I get a chance to travel by Amtrak or VR I grab it.
wat in the bloody AI is this comment lmao
I’m glad that you’ve had such a great experience with the two North American Class I passenger carriers! So many complain about the food or poor on-time performance, or just slow speeds. Hopefully this is a sign of more good things to come!
This could be really cool- the delay is a major issue, but other than that, I’m sold!!! Better food is what really makes me happy!!!
Let’s get a meal together soon
There are a lot of flights between Chicago O’hare and Miami flown by American Airlines, and it gets more interesting whenever they fly a widebody like the Boeing 777 between the 2 cities on such a short flight. But this gets just interesting as airlines flying widebody planes on short haul flights!!! I’ve been waiting to see an Amtrak train between Chicago and Miami. I originally thought that they would introduce a new train entirely called the Silver Asteroid that goes straight to Miami from Chicago, but does not go through Washington DC.
I've thought also for a Chicago-Florida service to split in Decatur and have a branch to Montgomery and possibly reopen Atmore and Pensacola (or continue to Mobile as a separately name Gulf Breeze). I had the idea of Triple Crown to homage how the territory went between the English, French, and Spanish prior and in the infancy of the United States-as well as a play on passing through Louisville where the Kentucky Derby occurs (However, the other two races are in the NEC and there is no good route that connects the 3 unless you split the Cardinal in the direction of New York at Cincinnati or else you loose Baltimore via the National Limited routing). At that, the plan originally was to terminate in Savannah, then I extended it to Sanford since I already extended the Palmetto/Silver Palm back to Tampa (which Amtrak could always do with the merged Capitol Limited-Silver Star taking one NEC-Florida train out), and Silver Crescent on the East of New Orleans segment also to Tampa since the Orlando-New Orleans Segment made decent money as it was Pre-Katrina. In addition, Brightline would send some trains to Orlando-Health over MCO/FEC Mainline since that corridor is worthy of shuttling trains itself. Sure Sanford is far away from Brightline, but could always run shuttles to MCO (mainly for Brightline) and Orlando-Health/Convention Center (primarily for SunRail, Lynx Busses, and as transfer to last mile connections to area resorts-which is worth its own explainer)
Better dining is always a plus, so hopefully that’s a change they go through with!
I’ve only been on the Capitol Limited once, but I was extremely impressed by the Superliners. I like them a lot better than Amfleet II’s (which aren’t bad, but I think the Superliners ride better. My experience also probably isn’t a fair comparison, since I’ve only been on a Superliner for an hour total and I took an 18-hour trip in an Amfleet II). I’d be a little sad if Superliners disappeared from the eastern US entirely; they’re a nice part of Amtrak’s fleet. But… I understand the hassle of having just this one train have a different consist than every other eastern US Amtrak train. Great video!
I’m right there with you, I’ll be sad too!
Superliners will still be on the Auto Train, if they are taken off the Capitol Limited in November. And that Capitol and Silver Star, are combined. I guess who knows if this rumor will occur, other than the Amtrak reservation site hinting this may be the long term plan. A little while back(and even before this TRA video), I had first heard this rumor on the Amtrak subreddit.
It's very overdue that the Texas Eagle should have an observation car again. I do wonder how far away Amtrak is(with having enough Superliner equipment-wise), to bring back the observation car on Texas Eagle.
While I'll miss Superliner equipment on the Capitol Limited, I hope combining these 2 trains(and Silver Star) works out for Amtrak. IF that is really their plan, in November. I do wonder why there hasn't been an official press release on this move for November(IF it really is happening), yet.
Sadly the Cap doesn’t have an observation car either so I’m not sure how this will work in terms of restoring one on the Eagle
This is a great video and a great idea.. i hope they do decide to get a combind route. I might switch my travel plans from CAL to FL and go see my aunt in Tampa.
Thanks!
That would be such a great addition to the current puny route map. Equally needed is to finish the connection between New Orleans and Jacksonville, FL.
Nothing will be changing to the map unfortunately
There is new New Orleans to Mobile Amtrak train service that will eventually start, now that city of Mobile finally approved a deal to help fund the new Gulf Coast Limited train. Still no plans to create train service between Mobile and Jax, but this is a small step towards what I hope will be much more service one day.
@@BoratWankstaI guess we will have to organize a special interest group on that.
Missed opportunity to bring back the Floridian
That will take a lot more effort
Excellent video my friends awesome like and Greeting 🙋🏻♂️ from Argentina 🇦🇷
Yes they should have a train from Chicago via Nashville to Atlanta then to Miami. Then a train from D.C To Montreal and Toronto.
Great video man! I love it Trains Are Awesome!
Thanks!
You’re welcome man
I'll be riding the capitol limited next month to Ohio so if the rumors are true, I got lucky with being able to experience the Superliners in the east before that's discontinued.
Just in time!
I see this as a sign of two different things happening in Amtrak long-distance service, not necessarily one big connection (and this is major speculation):
- The Silver Star is now terminating in DC, with a more well-planned connection to the Capitol Limited. In addition, they may introduce another Viewliner II or refocused Viewliner I to the route for additional rooms.
- The Capitol Limited will likely have a major equipment swap. They will no longer run Superliner coaches and instead use Viewliner equipment, with possibly the use of new coaches for seated passengers. The Superliners are still in great demand out west and are slated for major remodels, alongside those performed a couple years back on the California Zephyr.
I understand that Viewliner equipment is also very limited, but there are more spare Viewliner I's than Superliners at the moment, and more often than not, the Capitol Limted is travelling light.
What’s wrong with Lakeland 2x a day ? That 716 Pizza joint is there for all your Buffalo, NY delicacies like wings , Pizza with cup and char pepperoni, beef on weck , Perry’s ice cream. If train had service to Nashville and Orlando I would use it to visit 2 of my siblings who live in those places
It’s just kind of dumb to serve the same station twice on the same train.
@@Thom-TRA just promoting a friend’s restaurant and I am still waiting for your review on our Metro Rail plus the arcade and Attica rail road
I’ve never ridden an Amtrak Superliner car in the form of coach or sleeper. But the Viewliner and Amfleet accommodations on the Amtrak Silver Service is just as great. I can’t wait to experience the Viewliner II roomette. I’m not fond of the Viewliner I roomette having a toilet in it. It makes privacy and odors lacking. I’m glad CAF creator of the Viewliner II series took care of that problem. And the Viewliner II roomettes are toilet free. The Auto Train is definitely the only Amtrak train I’ve seen here in Florida with those amazing Bi Level Superliners. I do plan on taking an Amtrak train to the Washington DC area. The hotel I usually stay at is the Embassy Suites in Alexandria VA. And since there’s an Amtrak station there, I’d rather get off there and travel the DC area using the Metro Subway trains.
I’ve only ridden the Superliner coaches (and lounges), and found them to be comfortable. I’ve toured some of those other cars, I believe a Superliner Sleeper in addition to Amfleet and Horizon Fleet/Comet cars.
I mean, it seems more likely that Amtrak just doesn't want to maintain service to NYP. It adds around 3 hours to the route that is already much longer than the Silver Meteor and most people leaving from NYP are less likely to take the Star than the Meteor. This is mostly due to the timing for when the train leaves and arrives, the "streamlined" equipment used, and the fact that the Palmetto exists to occupy daytime service on the Meteor's corridor, making the Silver Star only really appealing for its diversion in the Carolinas or Tampa.
there used to be an amtrak that's called the silver palm
Very well written and thought out. 👏 Lord knows the Texas Eagle, Amtraks orphan, needs help and equipment. It’s a win-win.
Yes, it is sad how bare-bones that service is
Im going to miss the sliverstar since it was the only direct train route from Hamlet, NC to NYC, but glad to see a direct connection from Chicago to Miami
Yeah I wonder if this will be permanent or not
A report just came out several days ago stating that long distance train schedules were priorly negotiated in 2020 with freight operators and that there are no plans/authorization to change the schedules of either the Silverstar or Capital Limited. This means that the Silver star will only have roughly an hour to get into Washington DC, get cleaned, restocked, have bathrooms, flushed out and any other mechanical issues solved before departure. I don’t know this just feels like a mess waiting to happen.
The Amtrak route to Washington DC from Chicago is longer than to get to Florida than the old route going through Nashville and Atlanta.
Well I’m sure you’ve watched the video, so you’ll know that the reason they’re doing this isn’t to make a direct Chicago-Miami connection
Checking on 8/11/24, it seems that you can still book a typical connection in DC between the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star through the end of 2024. I suppose that if (and when) a merger between the two routes went through, they would just convert your ticket to a nonstop for no extra fee.
It's more than just rumors at this point; it's definitely happening as per what I said in the post yesterday. So far seems like the most likely names are "Capitol Limited-Silver Star" and "Floridian" since the chances of them ever getting a Chicago-Florida train via Nashville is slim to none in this environment and we discussed that on Saturday (the long-distance ID is pretty much a joke unfortunately).
I don’t have any way to verify this though
@@Thom-TRA yeah I guess, though since you're based out of DC it might not be too hard to reach out to people at Amtrak HQ.
@@nathanjiang100 true. I might try.
You got it, we now have the "Floridian"
I hope we get a train directly to Miami
Like a more direct route?
@@Thom-TRA yes
Kinda like a,straight line to Miami with at least 10 stops
@@frostyboiii1 Miami station is in its far northern suburb of Hialeah
Would rather fly then to go out of your way to DC then Florida@@Thom-TRA
Personally, I like the idea of Amtrak replacing their Superliners with single level cars, cuz it will Amtrak potential with a new New York to Chicago train running via Philadelphia & Pittsburgh, with the train combining at Pittsburgh
I always wondered why the Pennsylvanian doesn't have thru railcars(probably it'd be 1 coach car and 1 sleeper car, like how the thru railcar switch is done between Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited in San Antonio), that switch between that train and the Capitol Limited myself. Seems like it'd be a good place to add that, a la San Antonio, Spokane, and Albany-Rensselaer.
I think that would be a good idea. I live in the Philadelphia suburbs and since the demise of the Broadway Ltd. I only have the Tri weekly Cardinal as a one seat ride to Chicago. I have usually used the Capitol Ltd. to Chicago since but with the use of Superliners that train now sells out regularly. So with the change to single level cars that opens the opportunity for adding both coaches and sleepers to the Capitol Ltd. It also does open the opportunity to try the option of adding thru cars off the Pennsylvanian. However you also have to factor adding in the need for a switching crew at Pittsburgh to do this. Unless Amtrak could expect a good increase in ridership off the Pennsylvanian route to Chicago it most likely would be a no go.
It’s kinda weird that the Amtrak doesn’t go to Wyoming and South Dakota
Yeah, not many large population centers unfortunately
Yeah there aren’t
Southern Wyoming(near US 30) used to have Amtrak service, but no longer does. Unfortunately for South Dakota, they've never once had Amtrak service since it began in 1971 to save as many passenger trains as possible. The last South Dakota passenger train pre-Amtrak was an east to west route, that ran through Aberdeen, SD(northeast part of SD).
Don't worry, Idaho basically has no Amtrak service except a random resort town, Sandpoint, of
@@GirtonOramsaydo they have any Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach service to points south in Idaho?
The Superliners could be leaving the Capitol Limited, but they could in the future whenever Amtrak eventually takes delivery of the next gen of Bi-Levels they've put out request for. Hopefully they'll order enough to return to the Capitol Limited, and to restart the route to Florida via Louisville and Nashville using them too.
Yeah I’m worried they won’t order enough for all the expansion
@@Thom-TRA Yeah, they should've ordered more Viewliner II's. If they had looked a bit further in the future, they might have been able to see a need to replace Some Superliner sets on route like the Capitol Limited with single level sets when we get to a situation like we're in now. The Capitol Limited was my first over night long distance train, and it's sad seeing how much it's been cut down because of the equipment shortage.
Yes combined train is losing the superliner... the new train go be 10-12 cars
I had thought that they dropped the Request For Proposals due to changes in how the ADA is interpreted? I had assumed that they would simply order more Viewliner IIs instead, or make do with the new Siemens stock (ugh, fixed commuter seats on a medium-long-distance coach).
Florida Flyer; Florida Limited; Midwest Meteor; Snowbird Streak
Something else that would be interesting (finances and ridership are not accounted in this comment, just my desire for more trains so idk how this would work out in the business world) would be some sort of split in the train where part of it ran to either Baltimore or Philadelphia (I live in Baltimore so I'll go with that lol). This would only work if the Capitol Limited did switch to amfleets and viewliners since a notable station has high level platforms. The idea is to have most of the consist start in DC (or miami if the trains combine) and have a train consisting of maybe 2 amfleets and 1 viewliner start in Baltimore. Original train takes the normal route while the baltimore train starts in Camden station (I would do penn but the track that would connect the NEC and the csx line westbound outside of Baltimore penn station no longer exists) and follows the old main subdivision up to where it meets the metropolitan subdivision (where the capitol limited currently runs) and connects somewhere like Harpers Ferry (though idk how unless they were to rebuild the abandoned track and platform in front of the station) (I would say Point of Rocks where the lines meet or Brunswick where there is more space but neither are amtrak stations). Again idk if this would work but imo it would be cool.
Im at conductor wit Amtrak and we was told it’s happening to free up equipment for the west coast
That’s a benefit for sure, but the construction in NYC is a big driving factor in this decision
@@Thom-TRAthat very true also..
Despite the late night and early morning times the train will be running through Pittsburgh, I will try to get out and see it. If not, there are railcams, including one about an hour northwest of Pittsburgh.
Floridian is a good name, how about Gold Comet? Southern Star? Maybe two names as in City Of Miami when departing Chicago and City of Chicago when departing Miami. Very good report .
I think they should extend the Palmetto route to Atlanta
Cuz it only operates to savannah GA
I could see the Palmetto becoming the Silver Palm serving Orlando, Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. The Silver Meteor could stop at Gainesville, Ocala, Orlando, Sebring and Miami, while the Silver Star follows the Atlantic Coast along St. Augustine, Daytona, the Space Coast and on to Miami with localized stops (unlike Brightline).
Palmetto probably won't be rerouted to Atlanta. What would really be nice is for a 2nd train from the NYC-DC corridor to Atlanta, about 12 hours apart from the Crescent schedule. Also to me I wish an Atlanta-Macon-Savannah train, could be created. Though due to current federal law requiring states and local cities/counties to fund new Amtrak passenger trains if the distance is less than 750 miles, I fear an Atlanta-Macon-Savannah train won't be created.
Wish there was a way to sway the Georgia legislature to fund such a train. Especially if Missouri and Oklahoma and North Carolina(which also are red leaning, NC is a purple/swing state) fund Amtrak state trains.
Atlanta peachtree station only has 2 platforms and no terminating platforms, I think they should build a new platform or a new train station in downtown Atlanta.
Thom I love the videos it would be cool to see more surfliner content because it is my home route
One day I’ll come back to SoCal and film more
@@Thom-TRA tanks
THAT LOOKS LIKE The country Music star route
Perhaps The Norfolk Southern Lawmen could organize a superstar tour.
Well Another reason why New York Doesn't allow Superliners is because the station platforms are too high.
True. Most NEC stations actually.
Bit of different subject but the new Hudson River tunnels they really should be doing 4 and once done renovate the old 2 to all allow the double deckers
I fear this will reduce the Capitol Limited’s on time performance. I wish they had the ability to do both, add a connected new route and keep the old separate lines.
Yeah I’m worried about that too
@@Thom-TRA yeah, you covered it well in the video. It’s my main concern.
Got the email this afternoon: the Floridian!
If this does come true, I’m hoping that the Silver Meteor will make a stop in Tampa as well, Tampa is one of the busiest stops in Florida, so it would make sense to have 2 trains each way per day now.
I wish they would just add more trains in Florida so Tampa can be properly served without the detour
Call it what I've always called it... "Amlate". LOL Interesting video, I enjoyed it!
Flex Dining?? that is Amtrak's name for what is universally recognized as Airplane Food!
and just like Airplane food, it's BAD!
the current Capitol Limited has lost it's Dining Car AND Sightseer Lounge for a Cafe Car losing out on some of the most historic route it runs.
while the change from Superliners to Amfleets/Viewliners isn't a big deal. On Time performance is a BIG problem!
both Norfolk Southern AND CSX do not have much of a care for Amtrak Trains, so both current service routes regularly find themselves delayed for hours.
the biggest hotspots.
around DC and into Chicago where traffic is heaviest!
Both Class 1's need to get these bottlenecks sorted out ASAP if there is any hope of improving on time averages. this applies to both freight AND pax service!
in fact, of the 8 runs I have made on the current Capitol, NONE arrived remotely close to On Time in either direction.
a 3 hour delay into DC is routine and can be even worse if you are on a train blocked by an NS car/train collision.
and 3-6 hour delays into Chicago are commonplace caused by of all things = Freight Traffic trying to get through the Chicago Hub.
in all honesty, the NS double track main east out of Chicago should be Quadruple Tracked as far as Elkhart IN. from there to the Ohio line, Triple Tracked to allow more capacity for trains to clear Chicago and get themselves sorted out.
fixing DC's Traffic is more complicated given Union Station's location practically next to the US Capitol Building with the southbound Mains tunnelling underneath downtown DC.
regarding the Floridian. I could see it's return as a Chicago-Tampa-Miami Autotrain that did run on a similar routing. in today's Economy, it may even run better than the original once track upgrades bring the chosen line up to speed.
Amtrak's Autotrain in it's own right deserves it's own dedicated fleet of rolling stock decorated accordingly for the service it provides and improved onboard amenities.
this would release a large number of Superliner equipment to put onto western routes so desperately in need of more capacity once all these cars have been modernized to 21st century standards
A funny thing i have noticed is that the Capitol Limited doesn’t pass through any US state capitals.
The capital of Maryland is Annapolis but Annapolis doesn’t even have rail service.
The capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg but Harrisburg is served by the Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian, not the Capitol Limited.
The capital of Ohio is Columbus and Columbus doesn’t even have rail service (Biggest US city lacking InterCity rail).
The capital of Indiana is Indianapolis but Indianapolis is served by the Cardinal and not the Capitol Limited.
The capital of Illinois is Springfield but Springfield is served by the Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle and not by the Capitol Limited.
Ironically, the National Limited (which also took over the service provided by the Spirit of St. Louis) did serve some of these places, specifically Washington, D. C. In addition to Harrisburg, PA; Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, IN; as well as Jefferson City, the Capitol of Missouri. It also served NYC and made only one stop in Illinois in the small but significant town of Effingham.
Amtrak has chosen the name for the combined Capitol Limited/Silver Star service
I feel like Amtrak is going to terminate the Silver Star in DC. So they can do any maintenance or required test. Then send the train out at the normal Capital Limited time.
The stopover in DC is going to be about an hour
South Wind!
I'm sceptical that since the silver star has a very bad on time percentage that and delays could screw over people going between Chicago and DC. It feels like two long of a route to be run with a acceptable timetable. If this is in fact a short term change they should just use one trainset between the two routes and just service it at ivy City while in DC but have it officially stay as one train
I’m worried about delays too
I really should look up on Juckins, how often connections are made between the Silver Star and Capitol Limited. I'm now wondering what the percentage is, for a successful connection in DC between these 2 trains.
Why can’t they use both single and double decker between Chicago and Washington? The train can divide at Washington with the single decker coaches continuing on to Miami. Though due to the fact you can’t connect a signal decker with a double decker as far as the vestibule/gangway area is concerned, I guess the middle is closed off for safety reasons. So make sure you’re travelling in the correct portion of the train folks!
Did you hear the part of the video where I talk about how Amtrak desperately needs their double deckers on other routes??
I get the advantages and disadvantages of this train, but I live in Indiana, and I took the Floridian as a college student between Bloomington, IN, and Fort Lauderdale on spring break. It would be good to have the Floridian back, but maybe through Atlanta and not Birmingham.
Yes it takes 3 months non stop
Thanks for the explanation of this. I was wondering about how delays might compound. I've never ridden on a route with Superliners only Amfleet I and II, Viewliner I roomette on one trip, Horizon fleet once and Acela Business Class. Do you think the single level equipment will be a big downgrade for passengers?
If the track conditions on the former Floridian (Chicago-Miami via Indianapolis, IN, Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN and Birmingham, AL) were vastly upgraded, and well-maintained, I think a return of this line would more feasible than the Chicago-Miami Route via South Bend, IN, Cleveland, OH, Pittsburgh, PA. Washington, D.C. Raleigh, NC, Columbia, SC, Savannah, GA , Jacksonville, FL and Orlando.
More attractive and potentially successful, yes. But nothing is more *feasible* than a route that already exists. That’s kind of the definition of feasible.
I would like to see the Floridian rout return!
I'm a bit later in commenting than normal due to a PC/Comms. network meltdown here in Aus. but it's great to see the rumour mill active about extending future Amtrak services. I note the issue and comment re freeing up Superliners, also I note the Amfleet cars are soon to go. Let's hope the positivity continues post Nov.5 (a certain election).
I notice TrekTrendy has recently posted a trip with his parents from New York to San Francisco (via Chicago) and it was good to see decent food offerings on the California Zephyr. I agree with your assessment of the microwave junk served on the flexible menu - now where's the neighbourhood stray mutt? Even a self-respecting dog would probably pass on that the way it was presented.
Hope all is well with you and Lindsey! Cheers from downunder.😊😊😊
While I realize and agree with the business decision to free up Superliner capacity out west by changing the "Floridian" to single level, as a coach passenger, the loss of an alternate place to wander and sit that doesn't require a cafe purchase means I'm most likely finished taking east-coast overnight trains for a while.
Where were you wandering? Unfortunately, this train didn’t have a sightseer lounge for a long time already
Original CHI-MIA streamliners took only 29-1/2 hours in 1940. Southbounds were only allowed an hour or so to turn in Miami and head back north. I would fly Delta or American First Class which is mucg faster and much cheaper than Amtrak's overpriced roomettes and bedrooms.