Amtrak to Restore Daily Long-Distance Train Service

Amtrak is restoring daily service for 12 of its long-distance routes following Congress's passage of the American Rescue Plan, which includes close to $2 billion for the carrier.

The new daily schedule has been updated on all Amtrak reservation systems, including Amtrak.com and the Amtrak app. The funding will also support Amtrak's efforts to recall more than 1,200 furloughed employees through the remainder of FY21 and into FY22. The funding is pending President Biden’s signature on the final bill.

“Offering daily long-distance service represents a vital step in our road to recovery,” said Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn. “Recognizing the immense value of our employees, we’d like to thank Congress for enabling service restoration and helping us recall furloughed employees.”

The daily schedules will commence in May 2021 and be grouped into three phases. (The destinations listed do not represent an exhaustive list of all route stops.)

May 24

• California Zephyr: (Chicago – Omaha – Denver – Salt Lake City – San Francisco)
• Coast Starlight: (Seattle – Portland – Sacramento – Oakland – Los Angeles)
• Texas Eagle: (Chicago – St. Louis – Dallas – San Antonio – Los Angeles)

May 31

• Capitol Limited: (Washington DC – Pittsburgh – Cleveland – Chicago)
• City of New Orleans: (Chicago – Memphis – Jackson – New Orleans)
• Lake Shore Limited: (New York/Boston – Albany – Buffalo – Chicago)
• Southwest Chief: (Chicago – Kansas City – Albuquerque – Los Angeles)

June 7

• Crescent: (New York – Washington DC – Atlanta – New Orleans)
• Palmetto: (New York – Washington DC – Charleston – Savannah)
• Silver Meteor: (New York – Savannah – Jacksonville – Orlando – Miami)
• Silver Star: (New York – Raleigh – Jacksonville – Orlando – Tampa – Miami)

In addition to the long-distance network, Amtrak will continue to operate the Auto Train daily and the Cardinal and Sunset Limited trains tri-weekly, as it has been done historically.

The schedule restoration is a critical part of Amtrak’s strategy for investing in long-distance service. Other components include:

• The debut of the new Viewliner II sleeping cars on the Silver Service, the first addition to the Amtrak sleeper fleet in over two decades.
• Upgraded bedding, towels and linens in private rooms aboard the Auto Train, with additional routes rolling out starting in summer.
• Fully-refreshed Amfleet II cars for Coach class routes along East Coast, including new seating cushions, carpets, curtains and LED reading lights.
• Multi-year interior refresh program for Superliner and Viewliner I equipment—including new seating cushions, carpet and curtains—beginning to enter service this summer.
• New Amtrak ALC-42 diesel-electric locomotives with higher performance and lower emissions will begin to replace the current long-distance engine fleet this year.
• Improved lounge experience for all private room customers—including the debut of the Metropolitan Lounge in the Moynihan Train Hall at New York Penn Station.
• Enhancements to the Auto Train customer experience.