Floridian (train)
Amtrak service between Chicago and Florida
Floridian The Capitol Limited , which will be merged with the Silver Star to create the Floridian
Status Planned Predecessor First service November 10, 2024 (2024-11-10 ) (planned) Current operator(s) Amtrak Termini Chicago Miami Distance travelled 2,076 miles (3,341 km) Average journey time 47 hours Service frequency Daily Train number(s) 40, 41 Class(es) Coach, sleeper Sleeping arrangements Roomette (2 beds) Bedroom (2 beds) Bedroom suite (4 beds) Accessible bedroom (2 beds) Catering facilities Dining car, café Rolling stock Amfleet and Viewliner carsTrack owner(s) Amtrak, CSXT , NS , CFRC , SFRTA
mi
0 mi
Chicago
84
South Bend
101
Elkhart
156
Waterloo
234
Toledo
281
Sandusky
316
Elyria
341
Cleveland
397
Alliance
481
Pittsburgh
541
Connellsville
634
Cumberland
706
Martinsburg
725
Harpers Ferry
764
Rockville
780
Washington, D.C.
789
Alexandria
889
Richmond Staples Mill Road
917
Petersburg
1,015
Rocky Mount
1,085
Raleigh
1,093
Cary
1,153
Southern Pines
1,181
Hamlet
1,255
Camden
1,288
Columbia
1,337
Denmark
Silver Meteor
1,425
Savannah
1,573
Jacksonville
1,631
Palatka
1,683
DeLand
1,715
Winter Park
1,720
Orlando
1,738
Kissimmee
Lakeland
1,819
Tampa
1,867
Winter Haven
1,908
Sebring
1,950
Okeechobee
2,011
West Palm Beach
2,029
Delray Beach
2,039
Deerfield Beach
2,053
Fort Lauderdale
2,061
Hollywood
2,077
Miami
The Floridian is a planned temporary Amtrak long-distance passenger train that will operate daily between Chicago, Illinois , and Miami, Florida , via Washington, D.C. . Service is expected to begin on November 10, 2024. The train is a combination of two existing trains: the Capitol Limited , which operates overnight between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the Silver Star , which operates overnight between New York City and Miami. Amtrak intends the train to be temporary, in response to planned rehabilitation work in the East River Tunnels . It will operate with single-level Amfleet and Viewliner passenger cars.
History
Amtrak created the Capitol Limited in 1981 as a Washington section of the Chicago–New York Broadway Limited , with the split occurring in Pittsburgh.[ 1] It became a fully separate train in 1986.[ 2] The train gained bilevel Superliner cars in 1994.[ 3] Amtrak inherited the Silver Star from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1971.
Trains magazine speculated in July 2024 that Amtrak intended to combine the two trains, based on "circumstantial evidence gleaned from Amtrak’s booking site."[ 4] Amtrak confirmed this speculation on September 23, 2024, announcing the temporary merger of the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star . The new train, called the Floridian , will use the entire route of the Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the route of the Silver Star between Washington, D.C. and Miami. The combined train will use single-level Amfleet and Viewliner cars from the Silver Star and carry the train numbers 40 and 41, which were previously assigned to the Three Rivers and Broadway Limited .[ 5] Amtrak cited two reasons for the move: reducing the number of movements through the East River Tunnels during planned reconciliation work, and meanwhile freeing up Superliner cars for use on Western long-distance trains.[ 6]
Amtrak previously used the name Floridian for a Chicago–Miami service that ran from 1971 to 1979 via Louisville, Kentucky , Nashville, Tennessee , and Montgomery, Alabama .[ 5]
Stations
References
^ Sanders, Craig (2009). Canton Area Railroads . Arcadia. p. 109. ISBN 9780738561110 .
^ Welsh, Joe (2006). Pennsylvania Railroad's Broadway Limited . Saint Paul, MN: Voyageur Press . p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7603-2302-1 .
^ Patch, David (October 26, 1994). "Superliner introduces travel to Chicago-Toledo-Washington" . Toledo Blade . Retrieved September 25, 2024 .
^ Johnston, Bob (July 10, 2024). "Amtrak may be planning to combine Capitol Limited and Silver Star: Analysis" . Trains News Wire . Retrieved July 11, 2024 .
^ a b "Amtrak combines Capitol Limited, Silver Star to create the new Floridian" . Trains . September 23, 2024. Retrieved September 23, 2024 .
^ Patch, David (September 23, 2024). "Amtrak to introduce temporary Florida service from Toledo in November" . Toledo Blade . Retrieved September 25, 2024 .
External links