Silver Star (Amtrak train)

Silver Star

Southbound Silver Star at Trenton Transit Center in Trenton, New Jersey.
Overview
Service type Inter-city rail
First service 1947
Current operator(s) Amtrak
Ridership 1,163 daily
424,394 total (FY11)[1]
Route
Start New York City
End Miami, Florida
Distance travelled 1,522 miles (2,449 km)
Service frequency Daily
Train number(s) 91-92
On-board services
Class(es)
  • First class sleeper
  • Reserved coach
Technical
Rolling stock
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s) Amtrak, CSX, NS, CFRC

The Silver Star is a 1,522-mile (2,449 km) passenger train route in the Silver Service brand operated by Amtrak, running from New York City south to Miami, Florida via the Northeast Corridor to Washington, D.C., then via Richmond, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; Orlando, Florida; and Tampa, Florida. The Silver Star shares much of its track with the Silver Meteor, which runs further east through North Carolina and South Carolina.

During fiscal year 2011, the Silver Star carried nearly 425,000 passengers, an increase of 7.8 percent over FY2010. During FY2011, the train had a total revenue of $32,963,894, a 10.6% increase from FY2010.[1]

History

The northbound Silver Star passing through Seabrook, Maryland in 1969

The Star was originally a service of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, running from New York to Miami and later also St. Petersburg (beyond Tampa). It was inaugurated December 12, 1947, to replace the Advance Silver Meteor.

With the exception of a brief period of time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when service to Tampa was provided by the Palmetto, the Silver Star has served both Tampa and Miami during the Amtrak era. Originally, Amtrak would split the Silver Star in Jacksonville, with the Tampa-bound portion continuing on the old Atlantic Coast Line Railroad route through Orlando, and the Miami-bound portion traveling through Ocala and Wildwood over most of what was the original Seaboard route to Miami. After November 1, 2004, the Silver Star resumed service to Tampa, and now travels intact all of the way, backing out of Tampa and retracing its route 40 miles (64 km) east to Auburndale, where it heads south to Miami.[2][3]

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.[4]

Consist details

A Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad locomotive pulls The Silver Star at Alexandria, VA on March 23, 1969

Like Amtrak's other long-distance routes that operate to and from New York, Amtrak is restricted to its single-level Amfleet and Viewliner cars. In addition, while electric locomotives are used between Washington and New York, trains switch to diesel locomotives traveling south of Washington.

[5] the Silver Star consist includes:

Route details

Amtrak Silver Service (interactive map)

The Silver Star operates over Amtrak, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern Railway trackage:

Prior to October 1986, the train ran between Petersburg, Virginia, and Raleigh via the CSX (Seaboard Air Line) Norlina Subdivision, stopping only in Henderson. CSX abandoned the Norlina Sub between Norlina and Collier Yard in Petersburg in 1986, and the Silver Star was shifted to the "A Line" between Petersburg and Selma, then to NS's "H Line" between Selma and Raleigh.

In the movie Carlito's Way (1993), Al Pacino's character is killed just before boarding the Silver Star.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Amtrak Ridership Rolls Up Best-Ever Records" (PDF). Amtrak. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  2. ↑ "April 6, 2004 (System Timetable) Page 71". The Museum of Railway Timetables.
  3. ↑ "Atlantic Coast Service Timetable - Effective November 8, 2010" (PDF). Amtrak.
  4. ↑ "Amtrak's Improvement Wish List", Trains, January 2011, 20-21.
  5. ↑ "Silver Star Trains 91 & 92 Sleeping Car Fare and Food Service Test Effective July 1, 2015 - January 31, 2016". Amtrak.com Service Alerts. Amtrak (National Rail Passenger Corp.). p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2015. Amtrak will test a new service aboard the Silver Star from July 1, 2015, through January 31, 2016, that will allow passengers to pay less to upgrade from coach class to our popular sleeping car accommodations. All meal service for sleeping car and coach passengers will be provided in the Café/Lounge car, where passengers can purchase a selection of hot and cold sandwiches, snacks and other items.
  6. ↑ "All reserved on the 11:30 Amtrak Silver Star bound for Tampa and Miami - Carlito's Way". Subzin.
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