79-484: The Silver Star is a temporarily discontinued long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 1,522-mile (2,449 km) route between New York City and Miami via Washington, D.C. ; Richmond, Virginia ; Raleigh, North Carolina ; Columbia, South Carolina ; Savannah, Georgia ; Jacksonville, Florida ; and Tampa, Florida . The Silver Star and its sister train in the Silver Service brand,
158-622: A CSX freight train in Cayce, South Carolina ; the engineer and a conductor of the Silver Star were killed, and 116 passengers were injured. Since 2012, issues have prevented Amtrak from moving from their current station to the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC), primarily regarding the length of the platforms and lease agreements. Amtrak argued that the platforms were insufficient in length, as extra cars are normally added to
237-708: A brief period from 1994 to 1995 and from 1996 to 2004, when service to Tampa was provided by the Palmetto (known as the Silver Palm from 1996 to 2002), the Silver Star once served both Tampa and Miami during the Amtrak era. Originally, Amtrak operated the Silver Star with Tampa and Miami sections that split in Jacksonville, with the Tampa section continuing on the old Atlantic Coast Line route through Orlando, and
316-812: A direct competitor to the Seaboard Air Line Railway 's Silver Meteor , the first New York-Florida streamliner. The Champion started as a daily service of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) in 1939, competing with the Silver Meteor of the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) on the New York–;Florida route. Initially just a New York-Miami service, the ACL added a section serving St. Petersburg and
395-463: A fee. However, baggage and bikes cannot be checked at certain unstaffed stations. Small dogs and cats in carriers are allowed on trips shorter than seven hours for an additional fee. Service animals are exempt from pet restrictions. All long-distance routes have café car service offering takeaway meals, snacks, drinks, and alcohol. As of 2023 , sleeping car passengers also have access to one of two types of restaurant-style dining. Traditional Dining
474-566: A solution, Congress created Amtrak, a government-owned company, to operate intercity rail as a public service. Most railroads opted-in and transferred their passenger rail operations to Amtrak on May 1, 1971. After the Southern Railway opted-in to Amtrak in 1979, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1983, Amtrak was left as the sole long-distance train operator in the US. In
553-831: A terminus and an intermediate stop. In FY2023, Amtrak's long-distance trains carried 3,944,124 riders, around 14% of the company's total. However, the routes account for about 42% of passenger miles traveled. Amtrak operates two types of long-distance trains: single-level and bi-level. Due to height restrictions on the Northeast Corridor , all six routes that terminate at New York Penn Station operate as single-level trains with Amfleet coaches and Viewliner sleeping cars. The remaining nine long-distance routes operate as bi-level trains with Superliner coaches and sleeping cars. Both single-level and bi-level trains are equipped with Viewliner baggage cars . Amtrak plans to replace all of its long-distance rail cars by 2032, except for
632-525: Is available on eight routes and consists of full table service in a dining car . Six routes instead feature Flexible Dining, where passengers may order hot meals to be delivered to their room or lounge. Passengers may also bring their own food and drink. Amtrak provides free basic Wi-Fi on seven of its long-distance routes: the Auto Train , Cardinal , Crescent , Lake Shore Limited , Palmetto , Silver Meteor , and Floridian . The service
711-741: Is due to the availability of Tri-Rail , South Florida's commuter rail system. Since Amtrak ended passenger rail service over the CSX Clearwater Subdivision between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida in February 1984, Amtrak Thruway bus service has been provided at Tampa Union Station for trainside transfer of passengers and their baggage to and from Clearwater, Florida and St. Petersburg. Other points on Florida's west coast, such as Bradenton, Florida , Sarasota, Florida , Port Charlotte, Florida and Fort Myers, Florida , are also served by Amtrak Thruway service connecting with
790-518: Is in place to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips. Passengers wanting to travel locally must use the more frequent Northeast Regional or Acela trains. Additionally, the Silver Star, like the Silver Meteor, does not allow local travel between West Palm Beach and Miami. Southbound trains only stop to discharge passengers, while northbound trains only stop to receive passengers bound for points beyond West Palm Beach. This
869-579: Is intended to support low-bandwidth uses only. Onboard internet is dependent on cell towers along the route of the train, so speed and availability correspond to regional cell coverage. Amtrak's long-distance network is a legacy of the railroad age , when trains operated by private railroad companies were the fastest and sometimes only mode of intercity transportation. The mid-20th century saw steep disinvestment in passenger rail relative to air and highway travel. Passenger trains became financial burdens for railroad companies, who sought to discontinue them. As
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#1732790431138948-439: Is used between New York City and Washington, D.C., while two diesel-electric locomotives, either GE P42DC or Siemens ALC-42 locomotives, are used for power south of Washington, D.C. Amtrak began replacing the older P42DC locomotives with ALC-42 locomotives in 2023. A typical Silver Star consist as of September 2024 would be made up of: During the 2022 suspension of the Silver Meteor , some coach and sleeping cars usually on
1027-837: The City of San Francisco was renamed the San Francisco Zephyr and the Lake Shore was discontinued. The Inter-American entered service in 1973 as short-distance train between Laredo and Fort Worth . It was extended north to St. Louis in 1974 and further to Chicago in 1976. In 1974 Amtrak renamed the Super Chief to the Southwest Limited and the Texas Chief to the Lone Star following
1106-612: The Empire Builder became the first route to receive the new locomotives. In FY2022, Amtrak's long-distance trains averaged 48 mph (77 km/h) between stations. Dwell time at stations averaged four minutes each, while dwell time at stations with crew changes or enroute servicing averaged 20 minutes each. Trains operating on the Northeast Corridor reach top speeds of 125 mph (201 km/h) in some stretches. The top speed for long-distance trains outside
1185-588: The Empire Builder divides at Spokane , with sections to Seattle and Portland . Eastbound from Chicago the Lake Shore Limited divides at Albany–Rensselaer , with sections to New York and Boston . The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited are combined between Los Angeles and San Antonio , where the Texas Eagle continues to Chicago and the Sunset Limited to New Orleans . On
1264-653: The Empire Builder was rerouted to St. Cloud . Meanwhile, the Southern Railway transferred its last remaining passenger route, the Southern Crescent , to Amtrak, who renamed it the Crescent . The Desert Wind also entered service in 1979. In 1981 the Capitol Limited began service, while the Inter-American was truncated to San Antonio, stripped of its Houston section, and renamed
1343-499: The Henry M. Flagler ). Each equipment set consisted of a baggage-dormitory-coach , four coaches, a dining car , and a tavern-lounge- observation car . In 1940–1941 Budd delivered additional equipment: three baggage-dorm-coaches, eight coaches, three dining cars, and three observation cars. The new equipment permitted the operation of an additional section between New York and St. Petersburg. Throughout its 40 years of service (1939–79)
1422-534: The Palmetto involve at least one night of travel, and so are outfitted with sleeping and dining cars . Routes depart once daily in each direction, at most, so some stops are served only at night. Delays are commonplace on long-distance trains, as the tracks are generally controlled by freight railroad companies. While anchored by major cities, long-distance trains also serve many rural communities en route (unlike commercial flights). A minority of passengers ride an entire route at once, with most traveling between
1501-485: The Silver Meteor , are the descendants of numerous long-distance trains that operated between Florida and New York for most of the 20th century. On November 10, 2024, Amtrak temporarily combined the Capitol Limited and Silver Star , producing a Chicago-Washington–Miami route, the Floridian . During fiscal year 2023, the Silver Star carried 351,732 passengers, a decrease of 19.1% from FY2022. In November 2023,
1580-679: The Silver Service brand – excluding two segments: Selma, North Carolina – Savannah, Georgia , and Kissimmee, Florida – Winter Haven, Florida . Between Selma and Savannah, the Silver Star takes an inland route over the CSX S-Line to serve the Carolinas' state capitals of Raleigh and Columbia, while the Silver Meteor stays closer to the coast on the CSX A-Line and serves Fayetteville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina . Between Kissimmee and Winter Haven,
1659-640: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway revoking permission to use the "Chief" names. The Mountaineer and Lake Shore Limited began service in 1975, and the Palmetto in 1976. The Mountaineer lasted only until 1977, at which point it was replaced by the Hilltopper . The Pioneer also entered service in 1977, and the James Whitcomb Riley was renamed the Cardinal . 1979
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#17327904311381738-590: The Budd Company and Pullman Standard built either just before or after World War II , and diesel-electric locomotives from the EMD E-unit series. These cars utilized steam heating provided by a steam generator in the locomotive. This equipment continued to operate when Amtrak took over in 1971. E-units were replaced by newer power, such as the steam generator-equipped EMD SDP40F by the mid 1970's. Amtrak began rebuilding their inherited passenger cars in
1817-659: The Capitol Limited , creating a single Chicago–Washington–Miami route: the Floridian . This was the first direct train service between the Midwest and Florida since the 1979 discontinuance of the original Floridian , albeit following a longer route. St. Petersburg, FL Miami, FL Miami, FL In 2017, North Carolina and Connecticut were in talks to extend the Carolinian from New York to New Haven . The resultant 779-mile (1,254 km) route would cross
1896-566: The Champion was always a big money maker and remained a fast, reliable, full service operation until Amtrak took over in 1971. ACL, SAL and SCL had maintained exceptionally high standards on its popular Florida streamliners while other railroads gave up on passenger service. According to former ACL/SCL/Amtrak train attendant James Longmire (now retired in Jacksonville, Florida), "The Champ was always packed and we didn't stop serving dinner until everyone got fed... no matter how long it took. We called
1975-755: The D&;RGW's Rio Grande Zephyr between Denver and Salt Lake City , renaming the train the California Zephyr . Amtrak also began operating the Auto Train in 1983. In 1984 Amtrak renamed the Southwest Limited to the Southwest Chief alongside the deployment of Superliner equipment, and also initiated the River Cities as a section of the City of New Orleans . In 1988
2054-848: The Eagle was renamed the Texas Eagle , and in 1989 Amtrak began the Gulf Breeze as a section of the Crescent . In 1990 the Capitol Limited and Broadway Limited were rerouted between Pittsburgh and Chicago, bypassing Fort Wayne . The Capitol Limited was moved to serve Cleveland and South Bend , the Broadway Limited to Youngstown and Akron . Amtrak extended the Sunset Limited east to Florida in 1993, creating its only coast-to-coast route. The River Cities
2133-475: The Eagle . The Empire Builder was rerouted to Wenatchee , bypassing the Yakima Valley , while a Portland section was added. The Panama Limited was renamed back to the City of New Orleans in hopes of capitalizing on the song of the same name . The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad opted-in to Amtrak in 1983. As a result, Amtrak rerouted its San Francisco Zephyr over the former route of
2212-725: The East Coast Champion. The Gulf coast branch lines carried West Coast Champion thru-cars to three different Florida branches, one to St. Petersburg, a second to Tampa, Bradenton and Sarasota, and a third to Fort Myers and Naples . By April 1967 the Augusta branch was switched over to the Everglades and Palmetto trains. The East Coast Champion ran up and down the Florida East Coast Railway stopping at popular east coast resorts. In 1963
2291-857: The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina . In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with the Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line , making the Champion a sister train to its longtime rivals, the Silver Meteor and Silver Star . Additionally, a few months after the merger, on September 4 northbound, and September 5 southbound, the East and West trains were consolidated into one. By December 1967,
2370-566: The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA), Congress divided Amtrak's routes into three strictly-defined service lines: Northeast Corridor routes, short distance corridors (less than 750 mi (1,210 km)), and long-distance routes of more than 750 mi (1,210 km). Unlike short distance "state-supported" corridors, long-distance routes could continue to receive full federal funding. In Amtrak's first year, 1971, it significantly overhauled
2449-646: The Pennsylvania Railroad -owned Northeast Corridor through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C. There, a radio-equipped lounge car was added to the train. Leaving Washington, trains used the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad to Richmond, Virginia , the north end of the ACL's main line. From Richmond, trains followed the Atlantic coast through Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida . Here
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2528-562: The Silver Meteor and Silver Star during the winter season to accommodate increased demand. Tri-Rail began serving the MIC on April 5, 2015, and Greyhound began using the station on June 24, 2015. Amtrak had been expected to move to the MIC by the Fall of 2016, but in 2018 Amtrak rejected the terms of a lease agreement with FDOT and said it had no plans to move to the MIC. In 2021, Amtrak reached out to FDOT to begin negotiations again for utilization of
2607-464: The Silver Meteor and the Silver Star "in early 2023." Following this announcement, beginning on northbound train 92 on March 15, 2023, traditional dining was reintroduced to the Silver Star for the first time since 2015. However, this was not a permanent rollout and was instead in the form of a 3-month pilot program gauged to test the success of the service. Southbound train 91 received the pilot on March 17. On June 24, 2023, traditional dining service
2686-544: The Silver Meteor makes an additional stop at Jesup, Georgia , while the Silver Star made no intermediate stops. However, during the 2022 suspension of the Silver Meteor, the Silver Star temporarily served Jesup. Prior to October 1986, the Silver Star operated between Petersburg, Virginia , and Raleigh via the CSX Norlina Subdivision , stopping only in Henderson, North Carolina . CSX abandoned
2765-488: The Silver Meteor turns south to go directly to Miami at Auburndale, Florida , while the Silver Star continues west to Lakeland, Florida and Tampa, before coming back to Auburndale and turning south to Miami. In addition to these diversions, between Sebring, Florida and West Palm Beach, Florida , the Silver Meteor makes no intermediate stops, while the Silver Star makes an additional stop at Okeechobee, Florida . Inversely, between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida ,
2844-407: The Silver Meteor were combined into the Silver Star , creating a train with up to six coaches and five sleepers, in addition to the café-lounge, diner, and baggage car. The Silver Star operated over a combination of Amtrak, CSX Transportation (CSXT), and Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) trackage: The Silver Star used the same route as the Silver Meteor – the other train in
2923-415: The Silver Star and Silver Meteor ) in 1988, the Silver Star was then the only passenger train serving Tampa. On July 1, 2015, the Silver Star's dining car was completely removed from the train's consist, a controversial decision that Amtrak rationalized with the idea that sleeping car passengers could obtain meals from the train's café-lounge car. However, on May 1, 2020, the Silver Star's dining car
3002-565: The Silver Star at Jacksonville and Lakeland. [REDACTED] Media related to Silver Star (Amtrak train) at Wikimedia Commons Long-distance Amtrak routes [REDACTED] The Long Distance Service Line is the division of Amtrak responsible for operating all intercity passenger train services in the United States longer than 750 miles (1,210 km). There are fourteen such routes as of 2024 , serving over 300 stations in 39 states. Amtrak's long-distance routes form
3081-631: The Silver Star at Tampa. Similarly, Amtrak has provided Amtrak Thruway bus service between the former stations along the CSX Wildwood Subdivision in North-Central Florida since November 2004 after passenger rail service ended, as well as Gainesville, Florida and The Villages-Lady Lake, Florida . The former stations that are now served by Amtrak Thruway buses are: Waldo, Florida , Ocala, Florida , Wildwood, Florida , and Dade City, Florida . These buses connect with
3160-512: The Silver Star provided a single once daily service between New York and Miami. On November 10, 2024, the Capitol Limited and Silver Star were merged into a Chicago–Washington–Miami service, the Floridian . The Floridian service is intended to be temporary to accommodate equipment shortages and planned rehabilitation work in the East River Tunnels . Under SAL operation, the Silver Star utilized passenger cars built by
3239-624: The Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor project, and reinstate its stop at Henderson, as well as adding a stop in La Crosse, Virginia . Like other long-distance trains operating on the Northeast Corridor, local travel between NEC stations is not allowed on the Silver Star . Northbound trains only stop to discharge passengers from Alexandria, Virginia northward, and southbound trains only stop to receive passengers from Newark, New Jersey to Washington. This policy
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3318-774: The Tampa Bay area in 1941 once enough streamlined equipment was available. The train was rebranded as the Tamiami Champion, with the St. Petersburg section called the Tamiami Champion (West Coast) (91 northbound/92 southbound), and the Miami section called the Tamiami Champion (East Coast) (1 northbound/2 southbound). In 1943 the names became East Coast Champion and West Coast Champion. Southbound trains originated in New York's Pennsylvania Station , and traveled south over
3397-474: The Viewliner II fleet. Long-distance trains are typically hauled by GE Genesis diesel locomotives. Trains which traverse the Northeast Corridor use Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives for that segment of their routes, switching engines at Washington Union Station . Amtrak is in the process of replacing all of its long-distance locomotives with diesel-electric Siemens Charger units by 2032. In 2022
3476-687: The West Coast Champion began hauling thru-cars for the City of Miami and South Wind streamliners to and from Chicago on its Jacksonville– Tampa / Sarasota leg via Orlando and its Jacksonville–St. Petersburg section via Gainesville , Ocala and Clearwater . During its long successful career the Champion network reached virtually every major city and resort in the Sunshine State except Florida Panhandle cities like Pensacola and Tallahassee, which were served by Seaboard's Jacksonville–New Orleans overnight Gulf Wind . By
3555-668: The "colored" coach, a combination baggage/coach behind the diesel. African Americans ate behind a curtain at two designated tables next to the kitchen of the dining car, but were barred from the observation-tavern-lounge on the rear of the train. Racial segregation on trains serving the South persisted even though the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), U. S. courts, and President Harry S. Truman 's 1948 mandate (banning segregation in railroad dining cars) had ordered interstate carriers to desegregrate. By 1955
3634-466: The 1970s Amtrak would combine the Champion with its old rival the Silver Meteor . The first of these instances came in the summer of 1972: the train split in Savannah, Georgia , with the Champion section continuing to St. Petersburg and the renamed Meteor section passing west of Jacksonville via Thalmann, Georgia, and Callahan, Florida , on former Seaboard tracks to Miami. These combinations occurred again in 1975, 1976, and 1977, but with two changes:
3713-489: The 750-mile (1,210 km) threshold required to categorize the Carolinian as a long-distance train, thus freeing North Carolina of its funding obligations. In November 2021, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act . Section 22214 of the law orders the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to study the restoration of all long-distance Amtrak routes that had been discontinued, daily service on non-daily trains (the Cardinal and Sunset Limited ), and
3792-433: The ACL rerouted the East Coast Champion from the coastal FEC tracks to an interior ACL route through Sanford and Auburndale , a town adjacent to Winter Haven , and then on SAL tracks from Auburndale to West Palm Beach and then to Miami. At the outset, the Champion was an all-coach streamliner pulled by a diesel electric locomotive . Pullman sleeping cars were added by 1941. One Champion A-unit resides at
3871-424: The FRA released its preferred draft network of fifteen new long-distance routes. The plan would increase the coverage of the long-distance Amtrak network by 23,200 route miles, reaching an additional 45 million population, 61 metropolitan statistical areas, 24 congressional districts, twelve National Park Service sites , and two states ( Wyoming and South Dakota ). Another round of public input will take place before
3950-401: The January 2011 issue of Trains magazine, this route was listed as one of five routes to be looked at by Amtrak in FY 2011 as the previous five routes (the Sunset Limited , Texas Eagle , California Zephyr , Capitol Limited , and Cardinal ) were examined in FY 2010. With the discontinuation of the Silver Meteor's former Tampa section (a descendant of the Champion , a longtime rival of
4029-728: The MIC in 2023. However, additional track area would need to be constructed for the Amtrak trains to turn back north, and as of 2024, Amtrak has no date indicated for when service will start at the MIC. On July 6, 2020, as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic , Amtrak reduced the frequency of this train to three times per week as opposed to daily. Southbound Silver Star trains departed New York Friday through Sunday, while Silver Meteor trains departed Monday through Thursday. Similarly, northbound Silver Star trains departed Miami on Thursday through Saturday, while Silver Meteor trains departed Sunday through Wednesday. Both trains resumed daily services on June 7, 2021, after additional Amtrak funding
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#17327904311384108-482: The MIC, and in February 2022, negotiations officially restarted. Later in March 2022, a test train operated into and out of the station and proved that the platforms are sufficient in length to hold a standard 10 car train. However, the platforms are not long enough to accommodate an 11 to 12 car train, which could be possible in the winter months. In September 2022, Amtrak management announced that it had restarted lease negotiations with FDOT regarding use and maintenance of
4187-524: The Miami section traveling through Ocala and Wildwood over most of what was the original Seaboard route to Miami. After November 1, 2004, the Silver Star resumed service to Tampa, and traveled intact all of the way, backing out of Tampa and retracing its route 40 miles (64 km) east to Auburndale , where it heads south to Miami or north to New York. The detour occurs at Lakeland ; the train stops there to discharge passengers before going to Tampa and to receive passengers after it returns from Tampa. In
4266-408: The Norlina Subdivision between Norlina, North Carolina and Collier Yard (just south of Petersburg) in October 1986, which required the Silver Star to be rerouted over the CSX A-Line between Petersburg and Selma, then over the North Carolina Railroad between Selma and Raleigh. The Silver Star is to be rerouted via its former routing when tracks between Petersburg and Norlina are rebuilt as part of
4345-410: The arrangement with its sister train, the Silver Meteor. The agreement was maintained when the PRR was folded into Penn Central Transportation in 1968, a year after SAL merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). Between Washington and Richmond, Virginia , the train operated on RF&P rails. Amtrak took over the train in 1971. Except for
4424-449: The backbone of the US national rail network, providing an alternative to intercity drives or flights. They are also noted for their scenery, and are popular as vacations and experiential travel. A few routes provide direct service to National Parks , with Amtrak Thruway buses reaching many more. The rider experience of Amtrak's long-distance trains is distinct from its Northeast Corridor and state-supported services. All trains except
4503-430: The early 1960s the West Coast Champion also had different sections north of Florida: in Wilson, North Carolina a section branched southeast to Wilmington, North Carolina and in Florence, South Carolina a branch left bound for Augusta, Georgia. However, these through services were only offered southbound. By 1966 these Augusta service was offered northbound also. In 1967 these sections to Wilmington and Augusta shifted over
4582-399: The final set of routes are recommended to Congress in spring 2024. Champion (train) The Champion was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Florida East Coast Railway between New York City and Miami or St. Petersburg, Florida . It operated from 1939 until 1979, continuing under the Seaboard Coast Line and Amtrak . It was
4661-496: The formal rollout in another interview with the Rail Passengers Association, Amtrak's vice president of long-distance service stated that Coach Class access to the dining car was planned to be allowed by the end of 2023, however by January 2024 coach passengers still did not have access. On March 4, 2024, dining car access was finally expanded to coach passengers, mirroring service on Amtrak's western long-distance trains. On February 4, 2018, Silver Star train number 91 collided with
4740-431: The late 1970's to utilize Head-end power (HEP); these rebuilt cars were known as the " Heritage Fleet ." The train began using Heritage Fleet equipment on March 10, 1982, and subsequently HEP-equipped EMD F40PH locomotives. The Silver Star used Amtrak's standard long-distance single-level equipment: Viewliner baggage, sleeping, and dining cars, and Amfleet coach and café-lounge cars. An ACS-64 electric locomotive
4819-429: The long-distance rail network in the United States. In addition to selecting which existing routes to retain, Amtrak created several new routes: the Coast Starlight , North Coast Hiawatha , and Lake Shore . It also renamed several routes: the Spirit of St. Louis became the National Limited , the City of New Orleans the Panama Limited , and the South Wind the Floridian . The following year, 1972,
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#17327904311384898-408: The name was simplified to the Champion, with the Miami and southeast Florida destinations eliminated, as the formerly SAL trains, the Silver Meteor and Silver Star had those responsibilities. Nonetheless, the Champion continued to have three different sections south of Jacksonville, simultaneously bound for different aforementioned Gulf Coast destinations from the ACL years. The Sarasota section
4977-403: The northeast is 100 mph (160 km/h), reached by the Texas Eagle between Chicago and St. Louis . In a practice not seen elsewhere in the Amtrak network, four long-distance trains divide partway along their routes. This allows trains to serve multiple endpoints without requiring passengers to transfer, and provides efficiency over the shared route segments. Westbound from Chicago
5056-479: The possibility of new long-distance routes—particularly those that were discontinued upon the formation of Amtrak. Work on the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study began in September 2022. Materials published in February 2023 indicated that the FRA was studying 18 discontinued long-distance Amtrak routes, as well as four that were discontinued in 1971: the City of Miami , George Washington , Pan-American , and San Francisco Chief . In February 2024,
5135-425: The rail network. The Silver Palm was renamed to Palmetto in 2002, restoring the route's former name. In 2005 the Three Rivers was discontinued following the cancellation of a related Postal Service contract. That same year, the Sunset Limited was suspended east of New Orleans due to track damage from Hurricane Katrina . In November 2024 Amtrak truncated the Silver Star at Washington and merged it with
5214-402: The reverse trips the trains are coupled at these stations. All long-distance Amtrak trains have checked baggage service, save for the Auto Train , which instead allows passengers to transport items in their vehicles. On every other route, passengers are allowed two personal items, two carry-on bags, and two free checked bags. Two additional bags, oversized bags, and bicycles may be checked for
5293-436: The split occurred at Jacksonville, and the Meteor again became the Silver Meteor . In 1978, the United States Department of Transportation recommended the consolidation of New York - Florida services, leading to the permanent consolidation of the Champion into the Silver Meteor in October 1979, serving as the Silver Meteor's Tampa section. Although there were indications that the Champion name would be preserved, it
5372-447: The terminal. One issue however, is the deadheading move that will need to take place between the MIC and Hialeah. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has stated that "the company is evaluating technical and operational aspects of the move." In an Amtrak Public Board Meeting Q&A on December 1, 2022, it was revealed that Amtrak was in the final stages of its preparations for relocating from their current Miami station, and had planned to relocate to
5451-455: The train had a total revenue of $ 8.7 million. The Silver Star was originally a service of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), running from New York to Miami and later also St. Petersburg (beyond Tampa). It was previously known as the Advance Silver Meteor , and was renamed on December 12, 1947, after the name was chosen by SAL in a contest. From 1947 to 1948, it was winter-only and did not appear in summer timetables. By 1949, however, it
5530-424: The train split, with the West Coast section moving south then west through DeLand and Sanford on ACL rails to St. Petersburg, while the East Coast section turned south south-east to run along Florida's east coast to Miami via the Florida East Coast Railway . Prior to the Civil Rights Movement , black passengers on the Champion and other trains running through the southern United States were restricted to
5609-401: Was a year of major restructuring. Six long-distance routes were discontinued by the Carter Administration for not meeting a minimum farebox recovery ratio: the Lone Star , Champion , North Coast Hiawatha , National Limited , Floridian , and Hilltopper . As limited compensation, a Houston section was added to the Inter-American , a St. Petersburg section to the Silver Meteor , and
5688-464: Was a year-round train. Its main Miami-bound route went through the interior of Florida, via Ocala and Winter Haven . In peak winter service in the mid-1950s it had a section that went to St. Petersburg via Tampa . Another section went to Port Boca Grande via Tampa. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) carried the train between New York and Washington, D.C. under a haulage agreement, similar to
5767-517: Was discontinued the same year. Amtrak discontinued the Tampa section of the Silver Meteor in 1994. In 1995 Amtrak discontinued the Gulf Breeze , Palmetto , and Broadway Limited , the latter being partially replaced with the short-distance Three Rivers . Meanwhile, the City of New Orleans was rerouted west to Greenwood between Memphis and Jackson . In 1996 the Three Rivers
5846-552: Was dropped altogether with the October 1, 1979, timetable. The Silver Meteor continued to operate the Tampa section until 1994, when it was discontinued. The western terminus of the Tampa section, however, was cut back to Tampa from St. Petersburg in February 1984. The Budd Company delivered three identical equipment sets for the Champion ; the ACL owned two and the FEC the third (the FEC received an additional matching set which became
5925-430: Was extended the next year to Venice . The Champion remained as a New York–St. Petersburg service, numbered #91 southbound and #92 northbound. When Amtrak assumed control of most of the passenger rail service in the United States in 1971, the Champion was retained as a New York–St. Petersburg service (#85/87) operating over the same line it had for the past thirty-two years. On several occasions throughout
6004-473: Was extended to Chicago and the Silver Palm was introduced, essentially restoring service on the routes of the Broadway Limited and Palmetto that had ended the prior year. The Sunset Limited was rerouted to bypass Phoenix at the request of Union Pacific . In 1997, funding issues forced Amtrak to discontinue the Desert Wind and Pioneer , severing Las Vegas , Wyoming , and Southern Idaho from
6083-407: Was formally launched on the Silver Star , as well as on northbound Silver Meteor train 98, and the Silver Star pilot program was replaced by permanent service. Southbound train 97 received traditional dining on June 26. However, coach passengers were not allowed access to the dining car on either the Silver Meteor or Silver Star , unlike on Amtrak's western long-distance trains. Shortly after
6162-614: Was included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 . Between January 24 and October 14, 2022, the Silver Star temporarily added a station stop in Jesup, Georgia due to the suspension of its sister train, the Silver Meteor , which is normally the only train that stops at that station. This was due to a resurgence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as well as a further delay caused by Hurricane Ian . During this period
6241-415: Was returned, and Amtrak introduced the “flexible dining” system to the train, which consists of pre-prepared meals which are then heated in either a convection oven or a microwave oven at the time of purchase. In a Rail Passengers Association webinar that took place on November 16, 2022, Amtrak's vice president of long-distance service revealed that traditional dining service was planned to be reintroduced on
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