Amtrak Silver Star Service

By James | Last updated September 26, 2023

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Amtrak run a number of trains on the Atlantic Coast Service on the eastern seaboard; namely the Amtrak Silver Star (Train 91 and 92) and Silver Meteor (Train 97 and 98) between New York and Miami.

Amtrak’s Silver Star service offers access to both Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic Coast from the Northeastern Seaboard whereas the Silver Meteor service only goes to Florida’s Atlantic Coast.

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Another service, the Palmetto used to operate a direct service from New York to Tampa but since 2004 it only goes from New York as far as Savannah in Georgia. This leaves the Silver Star as the only train service serving Tampa. At some point in the future this will change when the Brightline high speed train service from Miami reaches as far as Tampa.

If you wish to travel with your car, then there is also the Auto Train which operates between Lorton just outside Washington DC and Sanford near Orlando.

The Silver Star takes a similar route to the Silver Meteor but it takes a more westerly route through the Carolinas and then detours to Tampa on the Gulf Coast.

When heading south after passing through Kissimmee it splits from the New York/Miami mainline and heads to Lakeland and on to Tampa. It then retraces its route back to Lakeland and rejoins the main line and continues on to Winter Haven. When heading north it turns off the mainline after Winter Haven towards Lakeland and Tampa.

Amtrak Silver Star Schedule

The Silver Star 91/92 train runs one service a day in each direction with journey times of over 31 and a half hours covering 1522 miles (2449 kms) and 11 states.

Amtrak Train 91 operates the southbound service leaving Penn Station in New York at 11:02 a.m. each morning and arriving in Miami at around 6:35 p.m. the next day.

The northbound Amtrak Train 92 leaves Miami at 11:40 a.m. and arrives in New York at 7:10 p.m. the following day.

Amtrak Silver Star Stops

The complete list of stops for Train 91 and 92 are as follows (the three letter codes in brackets are the official Amtrak train station codes):

  • New York, NY – Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Sta.(NYP)
  • Newark, NJ – Penn Station (NWK)
  • Trenton, NJ (TRE)
  • Philadelphia, PA – William H Gray III 30th St. Sta. (PHL)
  • Wilmington, DE (WIL)
  • Baltimore, MD – Penn Station (BAL)
  • Washington, DC – Union Station (WAS)
  • Alexandria, VA (ALX)
  • Richmond, VA – Staples Mill Road Station (RVR)
  • Petersburg, VA (PTB)
  • Rocky Mount, NC (RMT)
  • Raleigh, NC – Union Station (RGH)
  • Cary, NC (CYN)
  • Southern Pines, NC (SOP)
  • Hamlet, NC (HAM)
  • Camden, SC (CAM)
  • Columbia, SC (CLB)
  • Denmark, SC (DNK)
  • Savannah, GA (SAV)
  • Jacksonville, FL (JAX)
  • Palatka, FL (PAK)
  • DeLand, FL (DLD)
  • Winter Park, FL (WPK)
  • Orlando (aka Orlando Health), FL (ORL)
  • Kissimmee, FL (KIS)
  • Lakeland, FL – To/from points north (LAK)
  • Tampa, FL – Union Station (TPA)
  • Lakeland, FL – To/from points south (LKL)
  • Winter Haven, FL (WTH)
  • Sebring, FL (SBG)
  • Okeechobee, FL (OKE)
  • West Palm Beach, FL (WPB)
  • Delray Beach, FL (DLB)
  • Deerfield Beach, FL (DFB)
  • Fort Lauderdale, FL (FTL)
  • Hollywood, FL (HOL)
  • Miami, FL (MIA)

At some stations it is not possible to board the Silver Star train for a short journey but only to disembark, this to ensure sufficient capacity for passengers wanted to travel long distances. This is typically where alternative local services are offered such as the Tri-Rail service in the Miami area.

To see all Florida Amtrak stations, check out the list of all Amtrak stations in Florida including Thruway connections.

Thruway Connections

A number of destinations in Northern, Central Florida and the Gulf Coast south of Tampa are catered for by a Thruway motorcoach service which provides a co-ordinated train/motor ticketed coach service (including Greyhound) with connections at certain Amtrak stations.

With the removal of the Florida leg of the Palmetto railway service, stations from Jacksonville to Lakeland are now served by Thruway coaches.

On the Silver Star service you can use the Thruway service to connect:

  • from Jacksonville to Waldo, Gainesville, Ocala, Gainesville, The Villages, Wildwood, Dade City and Lakeland
  • from DeLand to Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Coast
  • from Orlando to Lakeland, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte and Fort Myers on the Gulf Coast
  • from Lakeland to Dade City, Wildwood, The Villages, Gainesville, Ocala, Waldo Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte and Fort Myers
  • from Tampa to Dade City, Wildwood, The Villages, Gainesville, Ocala, Waldo Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte and Fort Myers

SunRail Connections

Several Amtrak stations in Central Florida offer connections to the SunRail service.

On the Silver Star service you can connect to SunRail at:

  • Winter Park
  • Orlando (Orlando Health)
  • Kissimmee

Seating and Sleeper Cars

The Silver Star services offers three levels of accommodation. All coaches are single-decker so no need to climb stairs.

Coach

The cheapest ticket is a Coach Seat in one of the Amfleet II coaches which is a bit like a typical Business Class airline seat, which reclines with a fold down tray, separate foot rest and individual reading lamp plus 120v electric outlets. The carriages feature pairs of seats each side of the central aisle.

Viewliner Roomette and Bedroom

As it is a long overnight service, you might want a bit more privacy and to sleep in a bed in which case there is a choice of Sleeper Car, either a Viewliner Roomette or Viewliner Bedroom. Both are provided with fresh linen and towels as well as complimentary meals and access to a lounge at New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC stations.

There are two versions of the Viewliner carriages, the older Viewliner I and the Viewliner II. Each carriage has a corridor down one side and has ice-making and coffee facilities at the end of each carriage.

The Viewliner Roomette is designed for one or two passengers with two comfortable reclining seats facing each other by a large picture window. At night one of the seats converts into a bed and a second upper berth with its own picture window slides down from the ceiling.

The cabin also includes a fold-out table, power outlets, window blinds, a washbasin, a garment rack and climate control and Viewliner I carriages have a toilet (not enclosed). Public bathrooms and showers are located nearby.

The Viewliner Bedroom is around twice the size of the Roomette and can accommodate three passengers at a pinch (two sharing the lower berth). Most of the facilities are the same as the Roomette, but the lower berth converts from a two seater sofa and the room also has an enclosed toilet and private shower and a separate armchair.

Two Viewliner Bedrooms can be combined to make a Viewliner Bedroom Suite.

The Viewliner Accessible Bedroom has space for wheelchair storage and can also accommodate three passengers at a pinch. A large sofa seating three converts into the lower berth and is suitable for a passenger with a mobility impairment. A second upper berth is suitable for a companion. There is also a wheelchair accessible toilet in the cabin and meals can be served in the cabin is required.

The Viewliner cars each have their own dedicated Amtrak cabin attendant who will prepare the beds for you if you are travelling overnight.

Dining & Entertainment

For those passengers traveling in the Sleeping Cars, there is a Dining Car and a Lounge.

The Traditional Dining service (proper table service) was stopped in 2015. Instead the Dining Car only offers Flexible Dining where you do not need to make a reservation and it serves complimentary hot ready-to-serve pre-prepared breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Amtrak intend to re-introduce Traditional Dining in early 2023.

Breakfast menus include a variety of hot and cold entrees, such as pancakes, omelettes or a continental breakfast. For lunch/dinner, choose from beef short ribs, enchiladas, marinated chicken, salmon or pasta and meatballs as well as a seasonal dessert selection.

There is a wide selection of wine, beer and spirits that can be purchased, the first is complimentary with dinner and there are unlimited complimentary soft drinks, tea and coffee.

If you would prefer to eat in your room, then you can take advantage of the complimentary room service and you can watch movies in the Lounge (headphones can be purchased onboard) or grab a sandwich, snack and a beverage.

For Coach and Sleeper Car passengers there is also a Café menu in the Snack Car where you can purchase hot/cold breakfasts, lunches and dinners plus alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Lunch and dinner options includes sandwiches, burgers, Mac and cheese, hot dogs and various snacks.

Note that the Silver Star is a strictly no smoking service. Passengers wishing to smoke may smoke on some station platforms during stops but listen out for the “All Aboard” announcements. With one train a day you wouldn’t want to miss your train!

Silver Star Ticket Prices 2023

All prices shown here are the 2023 prices for a single journey.

You can generally book up to around 11 months in advance and as you would expect, ticket prices vary according to distance travelled and time of year.

For example travelling from one station to the next; e.g. Deland to Winter Park could be as little as $6 in Coach.

To travel the entire length of the route from New York to Miami southbound or Miami to New York northbound, Coach prices start at around $130 per person in “low” season rising to $162 per person in “high” season.

The Viewliner Roomette prices start at $492 for one person or $704 for two people and rise to $765 for one person and $977 for two people.

The Viewliner Bedroom prices are more expensive at $1436 for one person or $1648 for two and do not vary by season.

It is well worth keeping an eye out for sales as Amtrak often offer two for the price of one on their tickets.

With a Viewliner ticket you are given First Class status and all your meals are included in the price of the ticket as well as fresh towels and bedlinen, soap and shower amenities, turn-down service, bottled water and a wake-up service with coffee, tea, juice and daily newspaper.

With a First Class ticket you also have access to the Club Acela® lounges in New York, Philadelphia and Washington plus the private waiting area at Miami station.

Baggage

Each passenger is entitled to bring aboard to their seat up to two pieces of carry-on baggage (weight limit of 50 lbs per bag and maximum size of 28 x 22 x 14 inches) and two personal items like briefcases, purses, laptops (weight limit of 25 lbs per bag and maximum size of 14 x 11 x 7 inches).

In addition one infant item for infants under the age of two like a stroller can be brought on board at no charge.

Additional bags (maximum of two per passenger) are charged at $20.00 per bag.

At most stations, you can also check in up to two pieces of luggage at no charge (weight limit of 50 lbs per bag and linear* size of 75 inches). An additional two pieces can be checked in with a charge of $20.00 per bag and oversized bags (up to 100 linear* inches) also carry a $20.00 charge.

There are also charges for larger items like bicycles, golf bags and surfboards but medical devices like wheelchairs and scooters do not incur a charge.

Look out for the official Red Caps to help you with your baggage when arriving at the station (not available at all stations).

  • Linear inches is the combined length + height + width.

Palmetto Service

The Palmetto follows the same route as the Silver Meteor but these days it only goes as far as Savannah, Georgia.

It offers Business Class Service, including a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage service, newspapers and audio/video entertainment, priority boarding and other amenities.

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