Palmetto (train)

Not to be confused with Palmetto (ACL train).

The Palmetto is a passenger train operated by Amtrak on a 829-mile (1,334 km) route^[3] between New York City and Savannah, Georgia, via the Northeast Corridor, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Virginia, Fayetteville, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. The Palmetto is a shorter version of the Silver Meteor, which continues south to Miami, Florida. From 1996 to 2002 this service was called the Silver Palm. Although currently a day train, the Palmetto is considered a long-distance train by Amtrak and previously provided overnight sleeper service to Florida.

Palmetto

The southbound Palmetto at Fredericksburg station in 2018
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States
Predecessor	Palmetto (Atlantic Coast Line Railroad)
First service	June 15, 1976 (original) May 1, 2002 (current)
Last service	February 1, 1995 (original)
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Annual ridership	318,324 (FY23) 14.9%[a][1]
Route
Termini	New York City, New York Savannah, Georgia
Stops	23
Distance travelled	829 miles (1,334 km)
Average journey time	15 hours, 36 minutes (northbound) 15 hours, 2 minutes (southbound)[2]
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	89, 90
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class Business Class
Disabled access	All cars, most stations
Catering facilities	Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet cars
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line, 12 kV AC at 25 Hz (New York–Washington)
Operating speed	54 mph (87 km/h) (avg.) 125 mph (201 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)	Amtrak, CSX
Route map Legend Northeast Corridor to Boston 0 mi New York City Empire Corridor NY NJ North River Tunnels under the Hudson River 10 mi 16 km Newark Penn 25 mi 40 km Metropark 58 mi 93 km Trenton NJ PA Delaware River Keystone Service & Pennsylvanian 91 mi 146 km Philadelphia–30th Street PA DE 116 mi 187 km Wilmington DE MD 185 mi 298 km Baltimore 195 mi 314 km BWI Airport 216 mi 348 km New Carrollton MD DC Floridian to Chicago 225 mi 362 km Washington, D.C. DC VA Potomac River 234 mi 377 km Alexandria Cardinal, Crescent, & Northeast Regional 334 mi 538 km Richmond Staples Mill Road Northeast Regional to Newport News 362 mi 583 km Petersburg Northeast Regional to Norfolk VA NC 460 mi 740 km Rocky Mount 476 mi 766 km Wilson 502 mi 808 km Selma Carolinian & Floridian 550 mi 885 km Fayetteville NC SC 603 mi 970 km Dillon 633 mi 1019 km Florence 672 mi 1081 km Kingstree 728 mi 1172 km North Charleston 782 mi 1259 km Yemassee SC GA Savannah River Floridian 829 mi 1334 km Savannah Silver Service to Miami                1996–2004 extension                1996–2004 extension GA FL St. Marys River 977 mi 1572 km Jacksonville Silver Meteor and Silver Star 1035 mi 1666 km Waldo 1081 mi 1740 km Ocala 1107 mi 1782 km Wildwood 1143 mi 1839 km Dade City 1199 mi 1930 km Tampa 1230 mi 1979 km Lakeland Silver Meteor and Silver Star 1247 mi 2007 km Winter Haven 1288 mi 2073 km Sebring 1330 mi 2140 km Okeechobee 1391 mi 2239 km West Palm Beach 1409 mi 2268 km Delray Beach 1420 mi 2285 km Deerfield Beach 1434 mi 2308 km Fort Lauderdale 1442 mi 2321 km Hollywood 1456 mi 2343 km Miami This diagram: view talk edit

During fiscal year 2019, the Palmetto carried 345,342 passengers, a decrease of 11% from FY2018.^[4] The train had a total revenue of $27,208,372 during FY2016, a 61.4% increase over FY2015.^[5]

History

The Palmetto at Florence, South Carolina, in 1977. A GE P30CH is in the lead.

The "Palmetto" name was first used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1909 for the Palmetto Limited, which ran from New York City to Augusta and Savannah, Georgia, with a connection to Atlanta via the Georgia Railroad. The ACL train was discontinued in 1968.

Amtrak introduced the new Palmetto on June 15, 1976. The train drew its name from the Sabal palmetto, the state tree of South Carolina. The Palmetto was the first train in the Southern United States to receive the then-new Amfleet equipment, and the 828-mile (1,333 km) run was the longest at the time for the new coaches.^[6] At the time of introduction, Amtrak planned to run the Palmetto daily for the summer only, with service ending September 8. However, citing better-than-expected ridership, Amtrak extended the Palmetto to a year-round service indefinitely.^[7] In October 1976 the Florida Department of Transportation urged Amtrak to extend the Palmetto south to Miami.^[8]

In October 1984, Amtrak began operating the Carolinian, a North Carolina-focused regional train, as a section of the Palmetto. The two trains ran combined between New York and Richmond, Virginia. At Richmond the Carolinian continued separately to Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Carolinian was discontinued in September 1985, after the state of North Carolina refused to increase its support for the train,^[9][10][11] and then revived in 1990.

In December 1988 Amtrak extended the Palmetto south to Jacksonville, Florida. The train continued to be coach-only, without full dining service.^[12] Beginning on May 12, 1990, the Palmetto combined with a revived Carolinian, although this time the split occurred in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The two trains began running independently to New York in April 1991.^[13][14] In October 1994 the Palmetto became a full overnight with sleeper and dining car service, running through to Tampa, Florida. This replaced the Silver Meteor's Tampa section.^[15] This extension was short-lived: budget cuts under the Clinton administration led to the Palmetto's discontinuance on February 1, 1995.^[16]

Revival

See also: Silver Palm (train)

Amtrak added a third train from New York to Miami on November 10, 1996, known as the Silver Palm in line with the Silver Service brand for Amtrak's Florida trains. However, it used the same route as the former Palmetto and carried the same numbers (89 southbound and 90 northbound). While the Silver Star and Silver Meteor ran straight from Jacksonville to Miami, at Jacksonville the Silver Palm turned west and continued over the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad main line via Waldo, Ocala, Wildwood and Dade City to Tampa. At Tampa, it reversed and ran south to Miami. Amtrak restored the Palmetto name on May 1, 2002, after it removed the sleepers and dining car from the train, although it continued serving Florida.

On November 1, 2004, Amtrak truncated the Palmetto to Savannah, Georgia, operating a daytime schedule to and from New York (as it had prior to 1994). With the truncation to Savannah, the Silver Star was rerouted to serve Tampa; the old Jacksonville-Lakeland route is now served by a Amtrak Thruway bus transfer from the Silver Star, which serves all the former stations as well as Gainesville.^[17]

In the January 2011 issue of Trains magazine, this route was listed as one of five routes to be looked at by Amtrak in FY 2011 as the previous five routes (Sunset, Eagle, Zephyr, Capitol, and Cardinal) were examined in FY 2010.^[18] In October 2015, in an effort to reduce redundant trains, Amtrak temporarily cancelled one daily Northeast Regional round trip and allowed the Palmetto to take local passengers north of Washington. Stops at New Carrollton, BWI Airport, and Metropark were added to the Palmetto.^[19]

On April 3, 2016, the southbound Palmetto struck a backhoe while travelling through Chester, Pennsylvania, killing two track workers and derailing the locomotive, as well as damaging the first two cars of the train.

Operation

Equipment

The Palmetto at Wilson, North Carolina

Most Palmetto trains consist of six cars hauled by a locomotive.^[3]

The passenger cars are from the Amfleet series. Most trains include an Amfleet club car which has a combination of Business Class seating with a Café (food service/lounge) and four Coach Class cars. The train also carries a Viewliner series baggage car for checked baggage service.^[3] Unlike most Amtrak long-distance trains, the Palmetto does not carry sleeping cars or a dining car, which were removed from the train in 2002.

Between Savannah and Washington, trains are pulled by a GE Genesis or Siemens Charger diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h). (Amtrak began replacing the older P40DC and P42DC locomotives with the Chargers in 2023).^[20] Between New York and Washington, the service operates over the Northeast Corridor which has overhead electric wires and trains are pulled by Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives at speeds up to 125 mph (201 km/h).

In the coming years all equipment will be replaced with Amtrak Airo trainsets, the railroad's branding of its combination of Siemens Venture passenger cars and a Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotive.^[21] The trainsets for the Palmetto will have six passenger cars, which will include a food service area and a mix of 2x2 Coach Class and 2x1 Business Class seating.^[22] The car closest to the locomotive will be a specialized "Auxiliary Power Vehicle" which will include a pantograph to collect power from overhead lines and will feed it to four traction motors in the car, and via a DC link cable, to the four traction motors in the locomotive.^[23] The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources at Washington, a process that currently requires a time-consuming locomotive change.

Classes of service

The cafe car includes complimentary WiFi and electric outlets. All classes of service have an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables. Reservations are required on all trains, tickets may be purchased online, from an agent at some stations, a ticketing machine at most stations, or, at a higher cost, from the conductor on the train.^[24]

• Coach Class: 2x2 seating. Passengers self-select seats on a first-come, first-served basis.^[25]
• Business Class: 2x1 seating with more legroom than coach. Passengers receive complimentary soft drinks. Seats assigned in advance.^[26]

Route

Amtrak Silver Service (specific Palmetto stops are not marked)

The Palmetto's route has not changed significantly since it first ran in 1976. It parallels the Florida-bound Silver Meteor, making additional station stops. When introduced in 1976 it included two new stations: Dillon and Kingstree, South Carolina. As of 2011^[update] Kingstree sees the Silver Meteor as well.^[6] The Palmetto added Selma, North Carolina (Smithfield) in October 1982. In October 2015, it added New Carrollton, BWI Airport, and Metropark.^[27]

The Palmetto operates over Amtrak and CSX Transportation trackage:

• New York – Washington D.C. (Amtrak)
  • Northeast Corridor
• Washington D.C. – Savannah, GA (CSXT)
  • RF&P Subdivision
  • Richmond Terminal Subdivision
  • North End Subdivision
  • South End Subdivision
  • Charleston Subdivision
  • Savannah Subdivision

Bus connections

Amtrak Thruway bus routes began operating in eastern North Carolina in October 2012 that connect to the northbound and southbound Palmetto at the Wilson, North Carolina station.^[28] One route serves Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, and Morehead City; the other route serves Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, and Wilmington.

Station stops

Unlike other long-distance trains, the Palmetto makes local stops along the Northeast Corridor as well as major city stops. It stops at Metropark and BWI Airport in both directions.

Before 2019, the southbound Palmetto followed the practice of most medium- and long-distance trains running in the Northeast, and did not allow passengers to travel only between stations in the Northeast Corridor. It only stopped to receive passengers between Newark and Washington. This policy was intended to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips. Starting in 2019, the southbound Palmetto began allowing local travel along the Northeast Corridor. The northbound Palmetto has allowed such local travel since 2015.

State	Town/City	Station	Connections
NY	New York City	Penn Station	Amtrak (long-distance): Cardinal, Crescent, Lake Shore Limited, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Amtrak (intercity): Acela, Adirondack, Berkshire Flyer, Carolinian, Empire Service, Ethan Allen Express, Keystone Service, Maple Leaf, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Vermonter LIRR: ■ Main Line, ■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Gladstone Branch, ■ Montclair-Boonton Line, ■ Morristown Line NYC Subway: ​​​​ PATH: HOB-33 JSQ-33 JSQ-33 (via HOB) MTA Bus
NJ	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter NJ Transit: ■ North Jersey Coast Line, ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ Raritan Valley Line PATH: NWK-WTC Newark Light Rail NJ Transit Bus
	Iselin	Metropark	Amtrak: Acela, Keystone Service, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Vermonter NJ Transit: ■ Northeast Corridor Line NJ Transit Bus
	Trenton	Trenton	Amtrak: Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Star, Silver Meteor, Vermonter NJ Transit: ■ Northeast Corridor Line, ■ River Line SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Trenton Line NJ Transit Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
PA	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Keystone Service, Northeast Regional, Pennsylvanian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail: all lines NJ Transit: ■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA Metro: Market–Frankford Line, Subway–Surface Trolleys SEPTA City Bus, SEPTA Suburban Bus
DE	Wilmington	Wilmington	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail: ■ Wilmington/​Newark Line DART First State Greyhound Lines
MD	Baltimore	Penn Station	Amtrak: Acela, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter MARC: ■ Penn Line Light RailLink MTA Maryland, Charm City Circulator
		BWI Airport	Amtrak: Acela, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Vermonter MARC: ■ Penn Line Shuttle to Baltimore/Washington International Airport MTA Maryland, Howard Transit, UMBC Transit
	New Carrollton	New Carrollton	Amtrak: Northeast Regional, Vermonter MARC: ■ Penn Line Metro: Orange Line Metrobus, TheBus, MTA Maryland
DC	Washington	Washington Union Station	Amtrak: Acela, Capitol Limited, Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Vermonter MARC: ■ Brunswick Line, ■ Camden Line, ■ Penn Line VRE: ■ Manassas Line, ■ Fredericksburg Line Metro: Red Line DC Streetcar: H Street/Benning Road Line Metrobus, DC Circulator, MTA Maryland, Loudoun County Transit, OmniRide Intercity bus: Greyhound, Megabus, BoltBus, BestBus, Peter Pan, OurBus
VA	Alexandria	Alexandria	Amtrak: Cardinal, Carolinian, Crescent, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star VRE: ■ Fredericksburg Line, ■ Manassas Line Metro: Blue Line, Yellow Line Metrobus, DASH
	Richmond	Richmond Staples Mill Road	Amtrak: Carolinian, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star, Amtrak Thruway to Charlottesville, Virginia Greater Richmond Transit Company
	Ettrick	Petersburg	Amtrak: Carolinian, Northeast Regional, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Petersburg Area Transit
NC	Rocky Mount	Rocky Mount	Amtrak: Carolinian, Silver Meteor, Silver Star Tar River Transit Intercity bus: Greyhound Lines
	Wilson	Wilson	Amtrak: Carolinian, Amtrak Thruway to Greenville, New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, Wilmington Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority
	Selma	Selma–Smithfield	Amtrak: Carolinian Johnston County Area Transit System
	Fayetteville	Fayetteville	Amtrak: Silver Meteor Fayetteville Area System of Transit
SC	Dillon	Dillon	Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority
	Florence	Florence	Amtrak: Silver Meteor Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority
	Kingstree	Kingstree	Amtrak: Silver Meteor Williamsburg County Transit System
	North Charleston	Charleston	Amtrak: Silver Meteor Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority, Southeastern Stages
	Yemassee	Yemassee	Amtrak: Silver Meteor Lowcountry Regional Transportation Authority / Palmetto Breeze
GA	Savannah	Savannah	Amtrak: Silver Meteor, Silver Star Chatham Area Transit

References

1. "Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
2. "Amtrak Timetable Results". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
3. "PALMETTO". TrainWeb. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
4. https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FY19-Year-End-Ridership.pdf ^{[bare URL PDF]}
5. "Amtrak FY16 Ridership and Revenue Fact Sheet" (PDF). Amtrak. April 17, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
6. "Southern Amtrak passenger train scheduled". Rome News-Tribune. April 11, 1976. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
7. "Amtrak Keeping 2 Trains". Waycross Journal-Herald. August 26, 1976. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
8. Edger, Betsy (October 1, 1976). "Amtrak Won't Budge On Schedule Changes". Star-Banner. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
9. Foreman, Tom Jr. (October 27, 1984). "'Carolinian' makes trial run". Times-News. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
10. Waggoner, Martha (September 3, 1985). "The 'Carolinian' Makes Its Last Run". The Dispatch. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
11. Flesher, John (August 13, 1985). "Amtrak talks about scraping Charlotte-to-Raleigh service". Times-News. Retrieved April 4, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
12. "Travel Advisory". New York Times. December 18, 1988. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
13. "Charlotte-Rocky Mount train back on track". Morning Star. May 12, 1990. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
14. "Change to cut Carolinian's run by 40 minutes". The Charlotte Observer. March 15, 1991. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
15. "National Timetable". Amtrak. October 30, 1994. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
16. Weaver, Jay (January 7, 1995). "Amtrak won't cut trips through Ocala". Star-Banner. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
17. Stinson, Lashonda (October 14, 2004). "Amtrak to Cut Service to Several Small Fla. Towns". Lakeland Ledger.
18. "Amtrak's Improvement Wish List", Trains, January 2011, 20-21.
19. "Palmetto Trains 89 and 90 Add New Stops and Temporarily Replace Northeast Regional Trains 121, 131, 181 and 198" (Press release). Amtrak. October 12, 2015. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015.
20. Paul, Joe Sr.; Welsh, Michael; Kraft, Michael (February 2024). "Amtrak New Fleet Acquisition Updates" (PDF). Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee. p. 7.
21. "Introducing Our New Trains: Amtrak Airo". Amtrak. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
22. "Amtrak FY 2022–2027 Asset Line Plan" (PDF). Amtrak. p. 132. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
23. Worrell, Carolina (December 19, 2022). "First Look: Amtrak Airo". Railway Age. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
24. "Travel Guide to Train Fares". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
25. "Reserved Coach Class Seat". Amtrak. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
26. "Seat Selection". Amtrak. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
27. Norton, Debbie (November 11, 1982). "Businessbeat". Star-News. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
28. Fitzgerald, Eddie (October 2, 2012). "Amtrak shuttle service debuts in the East". New Bern Sun Journal. Retrieved November 27, 2012.

Notes

1. Amtrak's Fiscal Year (FY) runs from October 1 of the prior year to September 30 of the named year.

External links

• Silver Service / Palmetto – Amtrak