Amtrak combining the Silver Star and Capitol Limited (a new Floridian?)

[lirrelectrician]

Hello all,
I have been hearing rumors that Amtrak will through route the Silver Star and the Capitol Limited. I was looking on the Amtrak website and on Dec 1st you cant make a reservation from NYP to TPA with out some sort of connection. I havent heard anything from Amtrak but I was wondering if anyone here knew anything about it. I would assume then the Capitol would become single level.
Thank in advance for any info
Mike Scholz

[R36 Combine Coach]

In the early 90s, some might recall there was through Midwest-Florida service from Chicago and Pittsburgh via the
Capitol-Star connection.

[RandallW]

I used that connection in the 80s, an Amfleet coach, to travel from Raleigh to Chicago multiple times (but oddly not in the other direction). The last car on the Silver Star into DC (I think from the Miami section, but I really don't know) became the first passenger car on the Capitol Limited. From Chicago, I imagine they made the connecting car the last car before the cars they pulled in Pittsburgh, so they could pull it off the Capitol Limited in DC.

[charlesriverbranch]

Since the Capitol Limited goes to Washington, not New York, that must mean the Star would no longer serve New York either. Would this new train carry Superliners? Or Viewliners?

[R36 Combine Coach]

Since the Capitol Limited goes to Washington, not New York, that must mean the Star would no longer serve New York either.

If you have the Star serving the Midwest and the Meteor on the Northeast, might as well have the latter all the way to New England.

[Gilbert B Norman]

I had "picked up rumblings" of this proposed change independent of what I note here.

A "Capitol-Star" was considered when, circa '96, Amtrak was "flush" with Superliners, as the "Bush43 pruning" left Amtrak with such. But alas, somebody concerned about breaking the Corridor connection had better meeting and "corporate knife fighting" skills than did those favoring operational efficiency, and the plan was dropped.

But look at the efficiency; a Capitol-Star" could run with four equipment sets, but being practical, it would be assigned five. The existing "Capitol" and "Star" require four Single Level and three Superliner. That no longer would an NYP-TPA "single seat/bunk" be offered, well "something's gotta give".

Now to those from New England (you know who you are) who are constantly advocating for additional through service, haven't you all done well enough? Look what you got from the public till - electrification as well as through BOS-WAS Acela and Regional (rather than "important feed BOS-NHV such as the Springfield Line"), some absurd Albany-Pittsfield train that even the most staunch advocates around here see little use for, and service to Maine, which was "finito" well before A-Day. And now, your "Commonwealth of Tax" wants, and odds-on will get, "four a day on the B&A".

I think it is time to listen to 7:31 of Mick and his Choral Society words of wisdom.

[STrRedWolf]

Just for fun, I'm taking a look at this for a Capitol/Star combo (Floridian?). Just taking a look at the schedules...

Southbound: CHI 6p Central to WAS 1:04p Eastern the next day... departing 2:35p to MIA 6:35p the second day.
Northbound: MIA 10:40a to WAS 3:04p arriving next day, departing 4:05p to CHI 8:45a the second day Central.

Hmmmm... at the very least it is very possible to reuse the Superliner equipment. There's no issues with it fitting. Reloading the cafe and diner cars may be an issue, as I don't know how long it takes to resupply it.

For the one-seat to NYP... well, the Star's scheduled up to arrive at 7:10pm but the Regional is scheduled to pass it and arrive 10 minutes earlier... so it's half of one, half the other?

[markhb]

... and service to Maine, which was "finito" well before A-Day....

I'll just point out that it is, in fact, the state of Maine that is subsidizing the Downeaster; Massachusetts' contribution is limited to no-charge use of the MBTA's track and the required slots at North Station. Supposedly (although I couldn't find the statute) Maine's contribution comes from its receipts of sales tax on car rentals, but as Mr. Norman is well aware, the word "fungible" exists for a reason.

[dowlingm]

Is there any chance such an idea is intended to mitigate OTP impact from construction related capacity issues to/from NYP?

[Gilbert B Norman]

What is most interesting is an inquiry I made to the Amtrak website.

For a date during January and a slower period, I loaded in Cumberland to Raleigh. The result returned showed originating on #30, Capitol Limited and then CONNECTING to #91, Silver Star.

So apparently even though the.single level equipment moves as a through train, the passengers are to be booted off #30 at Wash and reboarded on #91.

In short, there is no single seat (well; officially) ride Cumberland to Raleigh available. All told, Amtrak is not reentering the Chicago-Florida route with a single train.

[Erie-Lackawanna]

Is there any chance such an idea is intended to mitigate OTP impact from construction related capacity issues to/from NYP?

What is most interesting is an inquiry I made to the Amtrak website.

For a date during January and a slower period, I loaded in Cumberland to Raleigh. The result returned showed originating on #30, Capitol Limited and then CONNECTING to #91, Silver Star.

So apparently even though the.single level equipment moves as a through train, the passengers are to be booted off #30 at Wash and reboarded on #91.

In short, there is no single seat (well; officially) ride Cumberland to Raleigh available. All told, Amtrak is not reentering the Chicago-Florida route with a single train.

After inquiring with people in the know, I’ve been told the current plan is to combine and through run the Capitol and Silver Star as one train. No firm date has been decided; as Mr. DowlingM suggests, it is to reduce movements through the East River Tunnels while Line 2 is rebuilt. The plan is to run it as a single-level train, and no, psgrs will not be booted off at WAS. Apparently, the working train name at the moment is…the Floridian.

Anything could change, but this is the plan as of today.

[west point]

Let us play what if.
1. Manager B to manager A. We need those 3 Superliner consists on the Capitol to be replaced by single level equipment.
2. Mgr A to mgr C When can you get 3 single level train sets to replace Capitol.?
3. C to A -You know some persons have said why not send Star equipment on Capitol and I will need just 1 more train set. However, have no idea when I can get enough equipment. I'm going to need 7 more operating sleepers, diner, lounge, 5 baggage, & 3 or 4 coaches on each train set. When can enough be activated?
4. A- Operations has no idea yet as Crescent is getting diners late this summer ( well that has changed to June 1st) & we do not know when all this needed equipment will become available.
5. A to D Start the ball rolling but no announcement as we have no idea when we can start service.
6. D to E block any reservations on Star north of WASH but we do not know when.
7. E to staff just block Star soon no one from A to D will know.
8. A to C & D what about a thru car CHI <> PHL >? NYP?
9. We will think about that.

Now that is pure speculation but no announcement will come for the running of thru service CHI <> WASH <<> MIA until equipment is finally determined and more important the possibly may be a schedule change(s) for one or up to 4 schedules. Marketing will not make any announcement until all Amtrak ducks are in place. The Borealis experience would indicate an announcement 3 - 4 weeks before start of changed service. Any equipment damage could stretch out inauguration to who knows when???

[ryanwc]

This seems like a recipe for some incredibly delayed trains.

[Tadman]

This seems like a recipe for some incredibly delayed trains.

Bingo. Possibly the dumbest idea yet. You can imagine what a snowstorm in NW Indiana would do to a train two days later in Florida. What would be wrong with just running the Star DC-MIA if they want to cut tunnel traffic?

[Gilbert B Norman]

If as Mr. "Friendly Service Route" reports at his immediate, Capitol-Star becomes a Chicago-Miami train with its own name (Floridian? 'nuff of us around here know how, even with Amtrak putting its best foot forward with consists, it was still a dud and on the wrong end of Jimmy's '79 axe) how will it be numbered?

On railroads "E=Even=East" still prevails for numbered trains (airlines are moving away from that with what appears to be Odd=Away from hub, Even=Returning), so would the train be numbered one thing on the website and another in any railroad ETT's?

This was long the case with the Starlight, which in the printed Amtrak Timetable, and I guess the website today, was 11 Southward and 14 North. Now so far as the SP ETT went (and maybe even still in the UP today), there was a "silent #12 and #13. On the SP, there was no North or South; everything ran to or from the Ferry Building or 3rd & Townsend. "Silent 12" was the Starlight OAK to SEA. "Silent 13" Starlight LA-OAK.