Summary
Starting Nov. 10, Amtrak will launch the “Floridian” line, a new daily service from Chicago to Miami.
The route merges Amtrak’s Capitol Limited and Silver Star lines due to ongoing repairs on the East River tunnel damaged by Superstorm Sandy.
The journey spans nearly 48 hours, with stops in Cleveland, Washington D.C., Orlando, and Tampa.
Coach tickets start at just over $100, while private rooms with added amenities like dining car meals, turndown service, and showers begin at $700. Café snacks and a dining car with various meal options are available.
Honestly? Not really.
A thirty minute flight takes about two and a half hours. Kayak says that’s a three hour twenty minute flight so you end up shaving off an hour twenty flying vs. high speed rail… and that’s ignoring costs like the annoyance of having your person scanned and tracked in an airport and having arbitrary limits and costs associated with your luggage. Also, losing luggage sucks balls - and you’re never going to lose luggage on a train unless you’re robbed. Add on that in a train the seats are designed for comfort along with (thank the fucking lord) the bathrooms.
I’ll take high speed rail over a US flight any day of the week.
It’s funny because in Europe the math is actually more in favor of flights because security theater is minimal and budget airlines are extremely competitive… still airlines cannot compete on comfort.