Amtrak Florida Service

Given that there is a high possibility of the resumption of NOLA - Jacksonville service, any hope to start service from Tampa to Fort Myers? Not a far distance, I know there is still some track in the area. Is there still freight running that route?

Do not expect any speed up for service Deland - Lakeland. The Sun Rail double tracking will cause many delays until it is finished from Orlando station south to Poinciana. Sun rail is trying to do construction between 0700 and arrival of north bound Star but we all know how often construction crews can clear especially if track is not restored.

In general, Amtrak needs to overhaul its Florida service.

Bring back the Silver Palm and operate the Star and Mereor so they are not tailing each other through Florida.

From Miami and NYC there needs to be a train that leaves at 7 to 9 am, then 10 to 12 noon, and then 5 pm to 7 pm.

I forget the route that the Silver Palm took - same as Meteor or same as Star. If it took the same as the Meteor, it needs to either serve Tampa direct or have some sort of connecting service.

It was great when these Florida trains split at Jacksonville. But now with dumbed down operations - you get less patronage. The Miami market is poorly served.

If Amtrak could do a same day turn in Sunnyside with the Meteor's equipment, it could create the Silver Palm once again - still leaving the new sleepers to add to existing trains.

But Amtrak has all but killed the Florida market it used to have. The Meteor is basically the best thing it has going for it. But if that train left NYP later it would have greater business in the Carolinas and Georgia.

Thee silver palm went via Tampa. It became the Palmetto.

jp1822 wrote:In general, Amtrak needs to overhaul its Florida service.

Bring back the Silver Palm and operate the Star and Mereor so they are not tailing each other through Florida.

From Miami and NYC there needs to be a train that leaves at 7 to 9 am, then 10 to 12 noon, and then 5 pm to 7 pm.

I forget the route that the Silver Palm took - same as Meteor or same as Star. If it took the same as the Meteor, it needs to either serve Tampa direct or have some sort of connecting service.

It was great when these Florida trains split at Jacksonville. But now with dumbed down operations - you get less patronage. The Miami market is poorly served.

If Amtrak could do a same day turn in Sunnyside with the Meteor's equipment, it could create the Silver Palm once again - still leaving the new sleepers to add to existing trains.

But Amtrak has all but killed the Florida market it used to have. The Meteor is basically the best thing it has going for it. But if that train left NYP later it would have greater business in the Carolinas and Georgia.

Once the new V-II sleepers are available, I would once again like to see a "Night Owl/Silver Palm" combined train down the FEC. It brings a sleeper back to the NEC, creates through New England to Florida service and serves the high-potential east coast of Florida (including Port Canaveral cruiseport which is very inconvenient now). All on a schedule that does what you say . . . counter balance the present Silver Service.

Tampa is already served pretty well but splitting the Meteor (at Orlando possibly???) would serve it better. A conductor once told me that Tampa patronage is growing quite a bit over the last few years. However, splitting all Silver Service trains at Jacksonville might be the best option with half going to Tampa and the other half going down the FEC. Imagine three trains serving all of the major markets including newly added East Coast FEC cities. It makes a lot more sense than servicing Sebring on a much longer schedule doesn't it?

The Palm should terminate in Tampa via CSX, the Meteor in Miami via CSX, and the Star in Miami via FEC.

your poor plan would cost Amtrak a fortune by creating servicing crews in each of those cities, or have train turn without proper servicing ??

Problem with that, in addition to expense of servicing facilities in Tampa, is the Silver Star would miss the important tourist market of central Florida, in Orlando and Kissimmee. While the market has grown exponentially and tourism numbers exploded, Amtrak provides less service here than it did in the 70's or 80's.

Just for the sake of argument, how about sending the Silver Palm down the S-line again, serving Tampa, but turn north at Auburndale and terminate in Orlando, with a deadhead move to the Sanford Auto Train facility for servicing.

Midwest / Ohio valley Amtrak service should be added on another new route. If train cars using the CARDINAL from CHI - CIN then NS ATL - JAX. and join present route to MIA. Would take 5 train sets but only ~ 840 new miles. Initially take about 5 - 9 cars per set so about 30 - 50 cars additional cars needed and 12 locos including spares. The following schedule of the Royal Palm probably could not be equaled but expanding this service has many possibilities. Certainly more stops on NS will slow schedule Once the 3C route is in operation then the train could originate in Detroit with connecting cars on Cardinal added at CIN.
Then maybe a STL - Louisville - Nashville - Chattanooga train could connect at CHA. As well Cardinal passengers from VA and WV could connect at CIN to go south to Florida. Crescent from Hattiesburg - BHM could connect at ATL as well to go to Florida.

Florida options are many including FEC, Tampa to carry passengers to south Florida cruise ships and other options.

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There is a freight line out of Tampa that I believe comes close or through Ft. Myers. It's a CSX line. I was in Bradenton, FL and observed a train daily head across a river/bay their and on down south.