Amtrak will debut a new route in November that’ll take travelers from Miami to Chicago and back for a limited time, the transit service announced Monday.
The route, dubbed the Floridian, has intermediate stops in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of the Floridian!
— Amtrak (@Amtrak) September 23, 2024
This train combines two iconic routes — the Capitol Limited and Silver Star — and will offer traditional dining throughout the full journey. pic.twitter.com/XZbtfUptJq
The train will make its inaugural trip on Sunday, Nov. 10, and tickets are available for purchase now.
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But the route won’t be around forever.
“Amtrak is temporarily combining the Capitol Limited and Silver Star trains to create the Floridian due to the upcoming East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project in New York,” the company explained in a news release.
“This move will free up badly needed equipment while taking pressure off Northeast Corridor infrastructure during the renovation of the ERT Project," said Jim Mathews, President & CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. "Rail Passengers applauds Amtrak for this innovative solution to keeping passengers moving during critical state of good repair work. We believe riders will flock to this new service.”
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The ride from Miami to Chicago takes about 50 hours, and ticket prices vary depending on the fare type.
"The Floridian (Trains 40 & 41) will operate on a similar schedule and make the current stops of the Capitol Limited (Trains 29 & 30) between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the Silver Star (Trains 91 & 92) between Miami and Washington, D.C.," Amtrak described. "The Silver Meteor (Trains 97 & 98) continues to operate daily between New York and Miami."