While countries like Japan and Switzerland are often associated with excellent intercity train travel, the United States remains primarily a travel-by-car and plane country.
The large size of the continent means train routes that span more than a few nearby states on the East Coast are more of an experience for enthusiasts rather than an efficient means of transportation. While one can easily find a low-cost airline ticket from New York to Los Angeles for $200, an Amtrak train between the two cities would take 65 hours and cost at least $450 for a simple seat and several thousand dollars for a room with a bed.
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There have, however, been some recent efforts to turn this situation around. Launched in 2018, private company Florida East Coast Railway’s Brightline train route started out running between Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach and was, over the next five years, slowly expanded to go as far as Miami and Orlando.
This is what you need to know about the new Amtrak line to Miami
The line proved revolutionary for a state that is not known for particularly strong public transportation and, in what is likely an effort to take advantage of the growing interest for train travel, the country’s main railway provider Amtrak announced a new route that will run from Chicago to Miami.
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Combining the existing Capitol Limited and Silver Star lines, the new Floridian line will run its inaugural journey on November 10. Stops between the two cities include Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Orlando and Tampa while the entire journey will take 47 hours to complete.
The line is temporary, launched to ensure that service between certain cities can continue while Amtrak undertakes an ongoing restoration of certain rail networks and tunnels on the East Coast train lines.
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‘Temporarily combining trains to create the Floridian’
“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,” according to an Amtrak statement about the Floridian. “During this project, one tunnel tube will be closed at a time, minimizing service impacts, maximizing construction access and modernizing the tunnel infrastructure to serve customers for another 100 years.”
Similarly to other lines, the Floridian will include Coach Class with regular seats and Business Class including smaller roomettes with pull-out beds and full bedrooms — the latter two are g chosen by people going on a longer cross-country train adventure. Those traveling in Business Class also get meal service in the train’s dining car for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the length of the trip while those in Coach can either bring food or buy it in the train’s cafe.
“Our members have had a long-standing dream of restoring a one-seat ride from the Midwest to Florida, and we’re thrilled that a new generation of American passengers will be able to experience this service for themselves,” Jim Matthews, who heads the Rail Passengers Association, said in a press statement. “This move will free up badly needed equipment while taking pressure off Northeast Corridor infrastructure during the renovation of the ERT Project.”
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