Amtrak passenger train passes through Index Washington – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Ian Dewar Photography
Amtrak will soon launch new, temporary service between Chicago and Florida as it prepares for significant construction along the heavily used Northeast Corridor.
The new Floridian trains will make daily stops in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. on their route from Chicago to Miami. Starting on November 10, services will commence.
Amtrak intends to renovate an old tunnel beneath the East River in New York, therefore the route combines two current routes: the Silver Star between Miami and New York and the Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington. One tube of the tunnel will have to close at a time due to work, and Amtrak had to reduce the number of trains that are maintained, cleaned, and fueled in New York City. As a result, the agency looked for alternatives outside of the city, according to spokesperson Marc Magliari.
Although Magliari stated that the new Chicago route would probably continue until the East River tunnel’s construction is completed, Amtrak does not yet have a set end date for it.
According to Magliari, “this offers a service that has been long sought in the Midwest.”
Online schedules indicate that the train travel time between Chicago and Miami is around two days. On the Amtrak website on Tuesday, a ticket for coach class cost $113, while the starting price for a private suite was $734. Amtrak’s newest sleeper car model will be part of the expanded service, according to Magliari.
According to Magliari, Amtrak used to run Floridian trains between Chicago and Miami, but the service was discontinued in 1979 due to deteriorating track conditions that made the train so unreliable that it scared off passengers. The Amtrak service was found to not be a high-performing route during a federal evaluation of its operations.
However, there aren’t many parallels between the current route and the original Floridian route. Though it will make different stops between the two locations, the new train will start in Chicago and serve the same stations in Florida. According to Magliari, the new route includes Toledo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, which never had direct Amtrak service to Florida, while the original Floridian went through Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, stated in an Amtrak statement that “our members have had a long-standing dream of restoring a one-seat ride from the Midwest to Florida, and we’re thrilled that a new generation of American passengers will be able to experience this service for themselves,” said Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, in a statement provided by Amtrak. “This move will free up badly needed equipment while taking pressure off Northeast Corridor infrastructure during the renovation of the ERT Project.”
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Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
