ORLANDO — Amtrak’s decision last fall to create the Chicago-Miami Floridian out of the Capitol Limited and Silver Star — ostensibly to reduce equipment moves during East River tunnel reconstruction in New York — is facing additional timekeeping obstacles over its 2,076-mile, 44-intermediate-stop route this summer.
A cell phone text message dinged Sunday (May 18) as northbound Floridian passengers in Tampa were already looking at a two-hour delay. The train they would board had departed Miami on time but suffered a locomotive failure shortly after leaving the station, so it had to return for fresh power. The new message told them heat-related speed restrictions were being imposed between 1 and 7 p.m. from Winter Haven, Fla., to Florence, S.C. These CSX edicts — a precaution taken in previous summers when temperatures rose to the 90s — also affect the Silver Meteor, Palmetto, and Auto Train.
Regular Floridian delays are expected because a lot can happens with decades-old cars and locomotives dodging miles-long freight trains on host railroads. A recent Trains News Wire trip on the Floridian from Chicago, however, reveals that persistent tardiness is only part of a complex story. Here are some additional takeaways.
Low long-distance fares drive coach patronage
When booked on April 30, a one-way senior coach fare from Chicago to Tampa, Fla., departing on May 15 was $103.50. This is substantially less than any connecting train combinations involving the Silver Meteor or Cardinal, as noted in an analysis when the train launched last November [see “Floridian debuts …,” News Wire, Nov. 11, 2024]. Four 60-seat Amfleet II coaches on the Chicago-Washington, D.C. segment have dramatically boosted capacity above the Capitol Limited’s Superliner offerings. Cheaper fares have indeed stimulated demand.
A fifth coach out of Chicago was added on the May 15 departure to help accommodate travelers displaced by the cancellation of the eastbound train the previous day. That occurred because Amtrak didn’t have enough standby equipment to send east when flooding in the Cumberland, Md., area inflicted a 19-hour delay on the westbound train.
Conductors and car attendants devised a loading plan in which seats filled by a car full of passengers all going to Pittsburgh (many connecting to the Pennsylvanian) were then taken by people going to Orlando and Kissimmee, Fla. Other coaches were “all Florida” and “all Washington,” and Chicago-Toledo/Cleveland travelers were replaced by folks going to Raleigh and other Carolina destinations.
The lower fares come with several pricing caveats:
1. The attractive coach fares on the Floridian are only offered from Chicago, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Passengers boarding at stops such as Toledo, Elyria, and Alliance in Ohio; Connellsville, Pa.; and Cumberland, Md., generally pay at least $100 more. This patently unfair “rural surcharge” doesn’t make any sense.
2. The low coach fares are not eligible for Amtrak’s “bid-up” program for sleeping car space and are not directly upgradable.
3. Sleeping car accommodations remain extremely expensive — about $1,500 for a Chicago-Tampa roomette.
Viewliners are a welcome addition
Each of the five Floridian equipment sets received a third Viewliner sleeping car at the beginning of April, alleviating what was a near-constant sellout on most dates. Sleeper prices remain at historically high levels, as is the case on most overnight trains going into the busy 2025 summer travel season. If the demand is strong, why drop the cost?
It should be noted that on this train, a major price break occurs east of Pittsburgh — roomettes are about $600 cheaper to Tampa than from Chicago. News Wire was able to take advantage of this by utilizing Amtrak Guest Rewards points [$1 currently equals 37 points]. The consist departing on May 15 had two Viewliner I cars (in which roomettes have in-room toilets) and one Viewliner II (where toilets for roomette passengers are “down the hall”). The drawing card for both types is the upper berth with a view, clearly the best sleeping loft in the universe. It came in handy after spending the night until 5 a.m. in coach.
The Viewliner dining car is also a significant plus on a route where thick forests rushing past the double set of windows provide an exhilarating backdrop to any meal. Coach passengers should be able to enjoy this phenomenon for $20 at breakfast, $25 at lunch, and $50 for dinner, but staffing shortages limited those opportunities on this trip. With the additional sleeping car and only two seatings available, the dinner option was not offered out in coach of Chicago. Those passengers were invited to breakfast and lunch the next day.
Onboard service crews change at Washington, D.C., and this poses problems for lunch eastbound and dinner westbound if the trains are late, because the changeover occurs at mealtime. Although the Washington-based crew’s lead service attendant said passengers could eat lunch either before or after Washington when announcing an 11 a.m. seating, the train was an hour late arriving at 2:10 p.m., so there was no way the new crew was going to serve lunch —or passengers would desire it. The café car wasn’t open, either, because the just-boarded lead service attendant was busy counting stock additions for almost a half-hour.
South of Washington there was another big problem: the lead service attendant and chef were the only dining car staff — no server. As a result, coach passengers were not explicitly offered the option to eat there the rest of the trip. The train was packed, and some passengers who knew the dining car was available to them came in, although not having the extra person was a missed opportunity to show off one of the Floridian’s best assets to people who might pop for an upgrade on their next trip.
Big delay, en route servicing, pizza!
Leaving Washington Union Station an hour and a half late at 3:05 p.m. meant the train from Chicago competed for limited track space with Virginia-bound Northeast Regional No. 95, a Virginia Railway Express commuter departure, and Auto Train. All were delayed. The Floridian led the pack on its nonstop run to Richmond, but a major problem occurred just south of the Virginia-North Carolina line at Pleasant Hill, N.C. A huge tree had fallen across CSX’s A-Line tracks that took more than two hours for crews to remove. The mostly single-track segment south of Petersburg, Va., is the East Coast’s Achilles Heel when it gets blocked.
The Floridian was thus over five hours late by the time it paused at Savannah, Ga., where an FRA-mandated 1,000-mile safety inspection is performed on the locomotives and cars. Western trains get the once-over at Albuquerque, Denver, and other locations, but this is the only train in the East where trip length requires it.
The 45-minute stop also includes time for sewage to be pumped from holding tanks of the Amfleet II coaches, where many toilets had stopped working. The previous night’s delay had exacerbated that situation; passengers were allowed off the train for a “fresh air break” but the Savannah station closes at 8 a.m., after the Palmetto heads north, so no relief there! Conductors did a good job of explaining everything and all restrooms were again soon open.
Watering of all passenger cars was done at Jacksonville, Fla., but that process took longer than usual. One of the cars was missed initially because hoses would not reach it. Dining car personnel and train attendants all helped with that operation.
The nearly on-time northbound Silver Meteor was given preference when both trains converged simultaneously on DeLand, Fla., so when the Floridian reached Orlando at 4:05 p.m. instead of 10:40 a.m., there was little time to make up. Many families — quite a few who had boarded at Pittsburgh — had finally made it to their destination.
Those passengers that remained were offered their choice of cheese or pepperoni pizza. Far from a perfect ending, but certainly a memorable adventure with many loose ends that can be addressed.
This current Floridian appears to make Amtraks original Floridian look like Santa Fes pre Amtrak Super Chief.
We had originally planned and made reservations for a Toledo- Jacksonville trip. We reserved two bedrooms and looked forward towards the trip despite the price tag. But after reading of the numerous problems plaguing this train we cancelled and are flying out of Cleveland to Jacksonville. We threw Amtrak a bone and are taking the train to Cleveland.
This is an situation where what looks go on paper is fit only for the trash can. There are too many variables at work in the FLORIDAN’s concept of operation. Regretfully, this is more evidence that Amtrak people don’t learn from their experiences.
When I think of my many nice trips on both the Silver Meteor and Florida Special in the 1960’s, I want to hang my head in shame for this current Amtrak fiasco.
The article gives about twelve reasons why not to go “LD” on an Amtrak “LD”. The purpose of a long-distance train is to serve intermediate points (assuming the train functions well enough to do so). To go all the way Chicago to Miami on Amtrak one has to have one or both of the following conditions: (1) fear of flying, and/or (2) lack of judgment.
As for serving intermediate points, the cobbled-together route and schedule of this train make that nearly impossible. For example, Pittsburgh to Chicago is within reason for an Amtrak journey —– if the passenger doesn’t mind waiting for a train that sometimes has difficulty getting through and out of Florida.
As for the low promotional (coach-only) fare Chicago to Miami, that assumes one’s time is worth nothing and that one doesn’t spend money during all those many hours, like, for example, eating.