The Floridian is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Miami, Florida, via Washington, D.C. and Tampa, Florida. Service officially began on November 10, 2024. The train was formed as a combination of two existing trains: the Capitol Limited, which operated overnight between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the Silver Star, which operated overnight between New York City and Miami. Amtrak intends the train to be temporary, in response to planned rehabilitation work in the East River Tunnels, as well as a shortage of Superliner cars. It operates with single-level Amfleet and Viewliner passenger cars.
History
Amtrak created the Capitol Limited in 1981 as a Washington section of the Chicago–New York Broadway Limited, with the split occurring in Pittsburgh. It became a fully separate train in 1986. The train gained bilevel Superliner cars in 1994. Amtrak inherited the Silver Star from the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1971. Amtrak previously used the name Floridian for a Chicago–Miami service that ran from 1971 to 1979 via Louisville, Kentucky, Nashville, Tennessee, and Montgomery, Alabama.
Trains magazine speculated in July 2024 that Amtrak intended to combine the two trains, based on "circumstantial evidence gleaned from Amtrak’s booking site." Amtrak confirmed this speculation on September 23, 2024, announcing the temporary merger of the Capitol Limited and the Silver Star. The new train, called the Floridian, will use the entire route of the Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the route of the Silver Star between Washington, D.C. and Miami. It was reported that the combined train would use single-level Amfleet and Viewliner cars from the Silver Star and carry the train numbers 40 and 41, which were previously assigned to the and . Amtrak cited two reasons for the move: reducing the number of movements through the East River Tunnels during planned reconstruction work, and meanwhile freeing up Superliner cars for use on Western long-distance trains.
Route details All stations previously served by the Capitol Limited and all stations south of D.C. previously served by the Silver Star when both services were suspended are served by the Floridian.
While most stations south of D.C. still have connections to the Northeast Corridor through other services such as the Carolinian, Palmetto, and Silver Meteor, several stations in Florida and the Carolinas are only served by the Floridian, meaning they no longer have direct service to the former terminus in New York. These include the stations in Southern Pines and Hamlet in North Carolina, Camden, Columbia, and Denmark in South Carolina, and Lakeland, Tampa, and Okeechobee in Florida.
Equipment The Floridian uses single-level Viewliner and Amfleet equipment, with a consist similar to that of the Silver Star. A typical Floridian has two GE P42DC or Siemens ALC-42 diesel locomotives, four Amfleet II coaches, an Amfleet cafe/lounge, a Viewliner diner, three Viewliner sleepers, and a Viewliner baggage car. The third sleeper was added in April 2025.
Stations StateCityStationConnectionsIllinoisChicagoIndianaSouth Bend Amtrak: Lake Shore Liimited South Bend TranspoElkhart Amtrak: Lake Shore Liimited Interurban TrolleyWaterloo Amtrak: Lake Shore LiimitedOhioToledo Amtrak: Lake Shore Liimited Amtrak Thruway Barons Bus Lines
Greyhound LinesSandusky Amtrak: Lake Shore Liimited Sandusky Transit System: Purple Line GoBus: Grey LineElyria Amtrak: Lake Shore LiimitedCleveland Amtrak: Lake Shore Liimited RTA Rapid Transit: Alliance Stark Area Regional Transit AuthorityPennsylvaniaPittsburgh Amtrak: Pennsylvanian Local bus: Pittsburgh Regional Transit Intercity bus: Greyhound, FlixBus, Fullington TrailwaysConnellsville Fayette Area Coordinated TransportationMarylandCumberland Allegany County Transit BayRunner ShuttleWest VirginiaMartinsburg MARC: Harpers Ferry MARC: EPTAMarylandRockville MARC: Metro: Red Line Ride On
MetrobusDistrict of ColumbiaWashington Amtrak: , , , , , , , , Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville, Virginia MARC: , , VRE: ,
Metro: Red Line DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line
Metrobus, MTA Maryland, Loudoun County Transit, OmniRide Intercity bus: Greyhound, Megabus, BestBus, Peter Pan, OurBusVirginiaAlexandria Amtrak: , , , , , VRE: , Metro: Blue Line, Yellow Line
Metrobus, DASHRichmond Amtrak: , , , , Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville, Virginia Greater Richmond Transit CompanyEttrick Amtrak: , , , Petersburg Area TransitNorth CarolinaRocky Mount Amtrak: , , Tar River Transit Greyhound LinesRaleigh Amtrak: , GoRaleigh, GoTriangleCary Amtrak: , GoCary, GoTriangleSouthern PinesHamletSouth CarolinaCamdenColumbia The CometDenmarkGeorgiaSavannah Amtrak: , FloridaJacksonville Amtrak: , Amtrak Thruway to Waldo, Ocala, Gainesville, The Villages, Wildwood, Dade City, Lakeland Jacksonville Transportation AuthorityPalatka Amtrak: The Ride SolutionDeLand Amtrak: , Amtrak Thruway to Daytona Beach SunRail VotranWinter Park Amtrak: SunRail LYNX BusOrlando Amtrak: , Amtrak Thruway to Lakeland, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers SunRail LYNX BusKissimmee Amtrak: SunRail LYNX Bus
Greyhound LinesLakeland Amtrak Thruway to Dade City, Wildwood, The Villages, Gainesville, Ocala, Waldo Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers Citrus Connection Greyhound LinesTampa Amtrak Thruway to Dade City, Wildwood, The Villages, Gainesville, Ocala, Waldo, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Bradenton, Sarasota, Port Charlotte, Fort Myers Hillsborough Area Regional TransitWinter Haven Amtrak: Sebring Amtrak: OkeechobeeWest Palm Beach Amtrak: Tri-Rail Brightline (at West Palm Beach)
Palm Tran, Tri-Rail Commuter Connector, West Palm Beach Downtown Trolley Greyhound LinesDelray Beach Amtrak: Tri-Rail Palm Tran, Downtown ConnectorDeerfield Beach Amtrak: Tri-Rail Broward County Transit, Tri-Rail Commuter ConnectorFort Lauderdale Amtrak: Tri-Rail Broward County Transit, Metrobus, Sun Trolley, Tri-Rail Commuter ConnectorHollywood Amtrak: Tri-Rail Broward County Transit, Hallandale Beach Community BusMiami Amtrak: Metrobus
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