On Monday, Amtrak announced its new Floridian train will run daily from Chicago to Miami starting Nov. 10. Local stops include Rockville, Washington, and Alexandria. The new train will combine the Capitol Limited (Chicago to Washington) and the Silver Star (Miami to New York). This change, which will be temporary, was necessary due to New York City’s 114-year-old East River Tunnels receiving a $1.6 billion dollar upgrade after floods during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
As a result, residents who use the Silver Star will have to use other routes to New York. The Silver Meteor will continue service from Miami to New York. Other options such as the Vermonter or the Northeast Regional will also remain running throughout construction. Amtrak estimates that the project will be completed in 2027. Amtrak plans to close one tunnel at a time to limit disruption of service.
The Floridian will serve 46 stops along the way, with the full journey set to take almost 47 hours. Outside of Chicago and Miami, there are several notable stops along the route. It includes vacation destinations such as Sandusky (OH), Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale. Many major cities also dot the route including Tampa, Jacksonville, Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland.
The train will be the second Amtrak service to hold the name, with its predecessor also running from Chicago to Miami in the 1970s. The old version had 14 less stops and took a more direct route through states like Indiana, Tennessee, and Alabama on its way down to the Sunshine State.
Tickets for the Floridian are available now on the Amtrak website as Trains 40 and 41. If you wish to take the entire trip, prices range from $113 for coach to over $1200 for a bedroom if you want a more comfortable journey.
Picture courtesy of Amtrak on X
