Amtrak Silver Star Service

Amtrak runs several trains on the Atlantic Coast Service on the eastern seaboard, namely the Amtrak Silver Star (Trains 91 and 92) and Silver Meteor (Trains 97 and 98) between New York and Miami.

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

The Silver Star follows a similar route to the Silver Meteor, but it travels more westerly 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 Tampa. It then retraces its route back to Lakeland, rejoins the main line, and continues to Winter Haven. When heading north, it turns off the mainline after Winter Haven and heads to Lakeland and Tampa.

Amtrak Silver Star Schedule

The Silver Star 91/92 train runs one service daily in each direction, covering 1522 miles (2449 km) and 11 states in over 31 hours and a half hours.

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.

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 is to ensure sufficient capacity for passengers wanting to travel long distances. This is typically where alternative local services, such as the Tri-Rail service in the Miami area, are offered.

Check out the list of all Florida Amtrak stations, including Thruway connections, to see all of them.

Thruway Connections

A Thruway motorcoach service caters to several northern and central Florida destinations and the Gulf Coast south of Tampa. It provides a coordinated 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, Thruway coaches are now serving stations from Jacksonville to Lakeland.

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 offer three levels of accommodation. All coaches are single-deckers, so there is 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. It reclines with a fold-down tray, separate footrest, individual reading lamp, and 120v electric outlets. The carriages feature pairs of seats on each side of the central aisle.

Viewliner Roomette and Bedroom

As it is a long overnight service, you might want 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, 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. It has 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 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. 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, private shower, and 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. An ample sofa seating three converts into the lower berth and is suitable for a passenger with a mobility impairment. A second upper berth is ideal for a companion. The cabin also has a wheelchair-accessible toilet, and meals can be served if required.

Each Viewliner car has a dedicated Amtrak cabin attendant who will prepare your beds if you travel overnight.

Dining & Entertainment

There is a Dining Car and a Lounge for passengers traveling in the Sleeping Cars.

Traditional DiningDininger table service) was stopped in 2015. Instead, the Dining Car only offers Flexible Dining, where you do not need to make a reservation. It serves complimentary hot, ready-to-serve, pre-prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Amtrak did plan to re-introduce traditional dining.

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

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

If you prefer to eat in your room, you can use the complimentary room service, watch movies in the Lounge (headphones can be purchased onboard), or grab a sandwich, snack, and 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, dinners, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

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

Note that the Silver Star is a strictly no-smoking service. Passengers wishing to smoke may do so 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 the distance traveled and the time of year.

For example, traveling from one station to the next, e.g., Deland to Winter Park, could cost 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 the “low” season and rise to $162 per person in the “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 watching for sales, as Amtrak often offers two tickets for the price of one.

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

With a First Class ticket, you can access the Club Acela® lounges in New York, Philadelphia, and Washington and 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, infants under two can bring one item, such as a stroller, on board at no charge.

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

At most stations, you can 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 for $20.00 per bag, and oversized bags (up to 100 linear* inches) also carry a $20.00 charge.

There are also charges for more oversized items like bicycles, golf bags, and surfboards, but medical devices like wheelchairs and scooters are not charged.

When arriving at the station, look for the official Red Caps to help you with your baggage (they are 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 complimentary non-alcoholic beverage service, newspapers, audio/video entertainment, priority boarding, and other amenities.