Best current options for traveling from Chicago to Florida

[chadamfleetrailfan]

Please forgive me if this was mentioned earlier on within the thread and I've somehow missed it, but there is no direct Amtrak route that runs from Chicago to Florida, correct?

 

[Eric S]

Please forgive me if this was mentioned earlier on within the thread and I've somehow missed it, but there is no direct Amtrak route that runs from Chicago to Florida, correct?

Correct. There is not and has not been since 1979 when the Floridian was discontinued.

 

[chadamfleetrailfan]

The only route that I can think of doing Amtrak-wise to get down to Florida from Chicago is to take either the Capitol Limited or Lake Shore Limited to NY/DC and then take one of the silver-based routes down to Florida that way?

 

[Roomette11]

The only route that I can think of doing Amtrak-wise to get down to Florida from Chicago is to take either the Capitol Limited or Lake Shore Limited to NY/DC and then take one of the silver-based routes down to Florida that way?

Yes. Changing trains in Washington, DC is the best you can do. It’s not a realistic option, although people do it.

 

[jis]

Yes. Changing trains in Washington, DC is the best you can do. It’s not a realistic option, although people do it.

At one time Amtrak explored the possibility of running a through Coach and Sleeper from the Meteor to the Capitol and vice versa. This was before the Capitol became Superliner. In any case there are even AU members traveling from Florida to the West Coast or Midwest for AU Gatherings that take this routing via Washington DC. It is not that uncommon. What is realistic or not is entirely in the mind of the traveler. many think that taking the train at all is not realistic too

 

[jiml]

At one time Amtrak explored the possibility of running a through Coach and Sleeper from the Meteor to the Capitol and vice versa. This was before the Capitol became Superliner. In any case there are even AU members traveling from Florida to the West Coast or Midwest for AU Gatherings that take this routing via Washington DC. It is not that uncommon. What is realistic or not is entirely in the mind of the traveler. many think that taking the train at all is not realistic too

There was for a time a through sleeper from the Broadway to/from one of the Silvers, exchanged at Philadelphia. I've been on it.

 

[niemi24s]

Although it entails a 1½ hour bus ride, this one's another possibility with checked baggage all the way with no overnight layovers (unless your destination is Tampa) and you're OK with departing Chicago at 1755hrs on a Tu, Th or Sa:

• Cardinal from CHI arriving CVS at 1535hrs the next day.
• Bus leaves CVS ten minutes later and gets to RVR at 1715 hrs.
• Silver Meteor leaves RVR four hours and thirty-four minutes later and gets to wherever you want to go in Florida the next day - unless Tampa is your destination.

You'd have to do a multi-city booking on line, CHI to RVR and RVR to someplace in Florida. Don't know if an AGR agent could do it better. This routing has the nice scenery on the Cardinal.

 

[jiml]

Although it entails a 1½ hour bus ride, this one's another possibility with checked baggage all the way with no overnight layovers (unless your destination is Tampa) and you're OK with departing Chicago at 1755hrs on a Tu, Th or Sa:

• Cardinal from CHI arriving CVS at 1535hrs the next day.
• Bus leaves CVS ten minutes later and gets to RVR at 1715 hrs.
• Silver Meteor leaves RVR four hours and thirty-four minutes later and gets to wherever you want to go in Florida the next day - unless Tampa is your destination.

You'd have to do a multi-city booking on line, CHI to RVR and RVR to someplace in Florida. Don't know if an AGR agent could do it better. This routing has the nice scenery on the Cardinal.

That's an interesting option. Is the bus a guaranteed connection if the Cardinal is late?

 

[niemi24s]

CHI to RVR is the first leg of this multi-city trip, so I think the transfer to the bus at CVS is guaranteed. There's only 10 minutes between the train and bus, so I'm guessing the bus won't leave CVS until after the train gets to CVS. Maybe.

 

[JamesWhitcombRiley]

Slight correction, you don't need multi-city, just plug in Chicago and Miami, for instance, on a Cardinal day. The bus between CVS and RVR is dedicated to the Cardinal and only runs on Cardinal days. Padding is built in at the connection at Richmond Staples Mill, and on the reverse, at Charlottesville. (Even if you call Amtrak, they won't let you use the bus for other trains.) It waits. If the schedule padding turns out insufficient, I guess something good happens: maybe a free trip to Alexandria or Washington, or a hotel. Certainly both the Cardinal eastbound and the Palmetto northbound are known for their delays reaching central Virginia. The delays are not usually epic, and so covered by the padding of a few hours.

The area around Richmond Staples Mill is safe if boring. There are some fast food and other restaurants, etc., but it's car-oriented and the new bus rapid transit does not quite get there. Some day the connection to the Palmetto may be at Richmond Main Street, but not yet.

I believe the history of the bus connection is that it was built just for this trip. These days, it can also be used to reach Newport News and Norfolk from the Cardinal, if starting at a station west of Charlottesville. By the mid to late 2030s, it should be replaced by an east-west train.

 

[niemi24s]

Slight correction, you don't need multi-city, just plug in Chicago and Miami, for instance, on a Cardinal day. The bus between CVS and RVR is dedicated to the Cardinal and only runs on Cardinal days.

Thanks for that information. Makes booking this route a lot easier.

And CHI to TPA using the Cardinal is also bookable but includes the addition of a second bus ride from Orlando to Tampa (about two hours).