Summary
Starting Nov. 10, Amtrak will launch the “Floridian” line, a new daily service from Chicago to Miami.
The route merges Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and Silver Star lines due to ongoing repairs on the East River tunnel damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
The journey spans nearly 48 hours, with stops in Cleveland, Washington D.C., Orlando, and Tampa.
Coach tickets start at just over $100, while private rooms with added amenities like dining car meals, turndown service, and showers begin at $700. Café snacks and a dining car with various meal options are available.
I was looking into visiting a friend in Cleveland from Philadelphia. Basically, it’s a straight shot West with hardly anything between. 6 hour drive, but I prefer the train when possible. 16 hours of travel time by train. Our system is so screwed.
I know that the lines are owned by freight companies, so they have the right of way. It’s just so frustrating to know that the infrastructure was there 100 years ago, but today, it is crippled by private interests and greed.
It’s not just right-of-way but also that they stop in every little town along the way so it takes forever. I’ve done it from Oregon to ND and it took a couple of days of this.
Amtrak actually legally has right of way over freight, it’s just that the freight companies break the law, and no one does anything about it. https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/HostRailroadReports/mythbusters-enforcing-amtraks-legal-right-to-preference.pdf