Atlantic Coast (Silver/Palmetto/Carolinian) Service discussion Q4 2023 - 2024

[west point]

Something is up with the STAR/ September 5 onward it is shown sold out from MIA - NYP. Also from SAV. Normal schedule southbound STAR is showing in reservations.

 

[uncleboots]

Indeed, and also a Chicago/Philadelphia/Florida sleeper via the Broadway Limited.

Didn’t know that, thanks for the info.

 

[jis]

Something is up with the STAR/ September 5 onward it is shown sold out from MIA - NYP. Also from SAV. Normal schedule southbound STAR is showing in reservations.

My conjecture is that the changes we have been discussing is happening on 6th September out of WAS, so 5th September out of MIA and CHI. Note that Family Bedroom is marked sold out on the Capitol Ltd. starting 6th September westbound and starting 5th September eastbound too. Just a speculation that matches the facts observed.

 

[railiner]

Has anyone observed similar buzz on other social media sites about the possibility of thru routing the Star and Cap?
I personally don’t use FB, so not aware, but still curious…

 

[jis]

Has anyone observed similar buzz on other social media sites about the possibility of thru routing the Star and Cap?
I personally don’t use FB, so not aware, but still curious…

Hey, you started it here. Did you do so elsewhere too?

Truth be told, I have not seen such speculation anywhere else so far, but then I have not done a organized survey and I don;t read more than may be a dozen rail sites.

 

[railiner]

The reason I ask, is someone that may have some “insider knowledge”, and doesn’t come here, may have possibly commented, or hinted at it elsewhere…

 

[west point]

Maybe time to talk to some station agents?

 

[joelkfla]

If this happens, I hope they keep at least 3 sleepers on the Meteor. Just 2 Accessible Bedrooms between FL & NY will make it very hard to get one on a couple months notice.

Does anyone know when the Silvers are going to get their 4th coach and (in the case of the Meteor) 3rd sleeper back? Surely restoring them to their pre-Covid consists would boost ridership.

I did some trial bookings. Both the NB & the SB Meteor have 5 or 6 bedrooms available on 6/2. I tried several days during the previous week and the most I found was 4.

So Amtrak is selling the 3rd sleeper both directions at least for 6/2. It could be sooner, and I just can't see it because of heavy loading around Memorial Day.

 

[trimetbusfan]

Something is up with the STAR/ September 5 onward it is shown sold out from MIA - NYP. Also from SAV. Normal schedule southbound STAR is showing in reservations.

It’s like this for many dates.

The star (both directions) seems to be marked as sold out between NYP and WAS every day in the fall months. From WAS to MIA accommodations are available, though.

[also just now catching up on this thread. I see this information might have already been mentioned! Interesting thoughts re: combining the cap/star.]

 

[jis]

President of ESPA (Empire State Passenger Association) Gary Prophet has posted on Facebook that the Star becomes a Florida to Chicago train via Washington DC starting Sept 6th. I have no idea what his source is, but it suggests that there might indeed be something to it. Then again it is possible that he is speculating based on observed facts like some of us are.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

President of ESPA (Empire State Passenger Association) Gary Prophet has posted on Facebook that the Star becomes a Florida to Chicago train via Washington DC starting Sept 6th. I have no idea what his source is, but it suggests that there might indeed be something to it. Then again it is possible that he is speculating based on observed facts like some of us are.

Not yet able to book, so maybe.

Just to throw this out there for discussion, any thoughts on reconfiguring the Palm back to a sleeper equipped train to provide a second Florida train from NY?

It would be nice but the times in Florida would be tough. Unless they mess with the timetables.

 

[pennyk]

President of ESPA (Empire State Passenger Association) Gary Prophet has posted on Facebook that the Star becomes a Florida to Chicago train via Washington DC starting Sept 6th. I have no idea what his source is, but it suggests that there might indeed be something to it. Then again it is possible that he is speculating based on observed facts like some of us are.

I saw another post on Facebook by someone I know to be either a current or former Amtrak employee who stated that the Star will be terminating in WAS due to track work. (There have been some unfriendly posts on Facebook and I assume we will not see anything like that here)

 

[Palmland]

current or former Amtrak employee who stated that the Star will be terminating in WAS due to track work.

There may well be track work but doubt that’s the reason the Star is apparently terminating in WAS. Very unlikely a track program would last 7 months - Sept-March ‘25 (latest you can book).

 

[trimetbusfan]

Another interesting observation - after this September date I discovered that (on the Cap) only a max of 4 bedrooms can be booked on each train. As we know, a viewliner car only has 2 bedrooms per car while a superliner has 5. A max of 4 bedrooms and no family bedrooms would imply that they are using 2 viewliner sleeper cars as equipment.

 

[lordsigma]

This is an interesting idea. I hope it’s true. Potentially a much better utilization of the available equipment and would help with the superliner fleet situation…..if they also were able to get superliners off the Carbondale service would go a long way towards getting towards pre pandemic capacities out west. I guess the biggest draw back is the loss of a one seat ride for New York and Philly to Tampa…..but given the ample transfer options on the corridor the benefits probably outweigh the loss of that one seat pairing. And for every other Florida destination you could just use the Meteor to avoid a transfer. Interesting stuff.

 

[joelkfla]

I also discovered that Lower Level coach seats are unavailable to book out of CHI starting 9/5, as are the Family Bedrooms which were previously noted. Looking at dates before 9/5, Family Bedrooms almost never sell out.

Someone on the Silver Star & Meteor Facebook group posted that the Star would be going to CHI, and was roundly shouted down.

 

[trimetbusfan]

I also discovered that Lower Level coach seats are unavailable to book out of CHI starting 9/5, as are the Family Bedrooms which were previously noted. Looking at dates before 9/5, Family Bedrooms almost never sell out.

Someone on the Silver Star & Meteor Facebook group posted that the Star would be going to CHI, and was roundly shouted down.

Yeah I’m not in many of the Facebook groups but from what I have seen many aren’t thinking big picture.

 

[Amtrak25]

This does remind me of a situation in the 1990's, just before the Cap Ltd went Superliner, that there was a thru coach Florida - Chicago tacked on the rear of ecah train (An Amfleet-2, not Heritage).

I don't remember what the schedules were then, long before they yanked 40/41, but Amtrak is far more loathe to cut/add cars now than then. Either the whole train runs thru, or none of it does.

Perhaps the Cardinal goes Superliner ? Still a net savings of Superliner cars given the Capitol Ltd's inherently awful equipment utilization of 3 train sets, and they get to truncate one more LD train off the NEC that has a very low load factor.

Too bad they can't service LD trains in Philly, with a commissary and linens. The must have a honeydew wagon.

Since the Star's OBS people are based out of NY, what will they do now ?

 

[jis]

This does remind me of a situation in the 1990's, just before the Cap Ltd went Superliner, that there was a thru coach Florida - Chicago tacked on the rear of ecah train (An Amfleet-2, not Heritage).

I don't remember what the schedules were then, long before they yanked 40/41, but Amtrak is far more loathe to cut/add cars now than then. Either the whole train runs thru, or none of it does.

Here are example timetables when the through cars ran between the Star (91/92 Miami Section, back then 81/82 was the Tampa section that terminated in Tampa) and the Cap.

• The Silver Star
• The Capitol Limited

Too bad they can't service LD trains in Philly, with a commissary and linens. The must have a honeydew wagon.

It is not clear to me which problem that would solve.

Perhaps the Cardinal goes Superliner ? Still a net savings of Superliner cars given the Capitol Ltd's inherently awful equipment utilization of 3 train sets, and they get to truncate one more LD train off the NEC that has a very low load factor.

At present there is no empirical evidence that there is going to be any equipment change or short turning at WAS for the Cardinal.

Since the Star's OBS people are based out of NY, what will they do now ?

The last few times I traveled on the Silvers, and I do that with some frequency these days being a resident of Florida with Northeast social connections, AFAIR the OBS crew were out of Miami. Maybe I recall wrong, but that is what I recall. IIRC I have had the same crew on a train departing NY the day after I arrived in NY for example.

 

[joelkfla]

The last few times I traveled on the Silvers, and I do that with some frequency these days being a resident of Florida with Northeast social connections, AFAIR the OBS crew were out of Miami. Maybe I recall wrong, but that is what I recall. IIRC I have had the same crew on a train departing NY the day after I arrived in NY for example.

That's what I thought, too. I think I recall several postings for chefs based in MIA before they restarted Traditional Dining on the Silvers.

 

[OBS]

The Star's crew ARE Miami based.

 

[TheVig]

All this talk about the Star, got me thinking about RGH. Sure enough I did some checking for Jan 2025. Sold out coming and going between RGH-NYP. That means the Carolinian has the potential to see even more riders.

Something tells me I should go ahead and book my Carolinian business class tickets for trips I have planned for October and November this fall.

Everything showing sold out for Hamlet, NC (HAM) as well.

 

[Maverickstation]

So here comes another possible round of changes to the Florida trains, among Amtrak's best financial performers.

The timetable that another poster linked above if from the time that the Star and Meteor had "Buffet Style Dining Service",
look at the description of services on the Silver Star to see that. There was another time when the Florida trains only offered dining service south of Washington.

Having (2) Daily New York to Miami Trains has worked well for Amtrak, so of course they can't leave that be.

http://www.timetables.org/full.php?group=19910407&item=0044

Ken

 

[west point]

This star showing selling out is getting very interesting. Time for our FOIA experts to get on it!

 

[Steve4031]

This would mean the end of flex dining between Chicago and Washington.

They have to do something to improve superliner availability.