Amtrak announces temporary new rail service between Chicago, Miami
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new temporary Amtrak train service will soon connect Chicago and Miami—combining the Capitol Limited and Silver Star services for a limited time.
The Floridian Amtrak service will begin on Sunday, Nov. 10.
"The Floridian offers customers an exceptional and sustainable journey to great destinations between Chicago and Miami, providing the amenities and delicious food our guests enjoy when traveling with us," Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Eliot Hamlisch said in a news release.
From start at Chicago's Union Station, the line will stop in South Bend, Elkhart, and Waterloo, Indiana; Toledo, Sandusky, Cleveland, and Alliance, Ohio, and Pittsburgh and Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and will also make stops in Maryland and West Virginia before reaching, Washington, D.C.
Heading south from D.C., the line will travel through Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina—with stops in the state capitals of each, among other burgs—and then Savannah Georgia. In Florida, I t will pass through Jacksonville and Orlando across to Tampa and Florida's West Coast, then back to Florida's East Coast as it reaches Miami.
Amtrak touts that coach passengers on The Floridian will enjoy wide, reclining seats with plenty of legroom and no middle seat. First class private rooms will offer seats that turn into beds, an in-room restroom and shower, bi-level windows, and a dedicated attendant, Amtrak said.
Traditional dining service will be available in the dining car for those in first class private rooms—with chef-prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a complimentary alcoholic beverage with dinner for those 21 and over.
Café service with meals, snacks, and beverages will be available for all passengers.
The full trip from Chicago to Miami on the train takes about 40 hours.
The reason the Capitol Limited and Silver Star trains are being combined temporarily has to do with the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project in New York City. The Silver Star train typically runs from New York City to Miami by way of Newark; Trenton; Philadelphia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore before reaching Washington, D.C., and continuing to Miami.
The East River Tunnels—which run from Penn Station to Long Island City, Queens, and are used by Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road trains with passengers aboard and New Jersey Transit trains headed to a railyard in Queens—were damaged during Superstorm Sandy in the fall of 2012.
The Capitol Limited service runs only between Chicago and D.C. The Cardinal service connects New York City and Chicago—with stops in Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., on the way to Chicago before the trains eventually double back north as they head west.
The Silver Meteor train will go on operating between New York City and Miami.
Amtrak did not specify how long The Floridian service will be available.