Amtrak to offer direct train service between the Triangle and the Midwest

Amtrak is temporarily changing two of its long-distance trains, providing a direct connection between Florida and the Midwest that will pass through the Triangle.

Amtrak is combining its Silver Star train between New York and Florida with its Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington, D.C . The combined train will be called the Floridian and will run between Chicago, Washington and Miami , with local stops in Selma, Raleigh and Cary.

The Floridian will go into service Sunday, Nov. 10, and will operate daily.

The change means Triangle residents will lose a direct option to cities between Washington and New York. The Silver Star is one of two trains, along with the state-sponsored Carolinian , that run daily between Raleigh and New York, stopping in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Newark.

Amtrak says it’s creating the Floridian to free up train cars and reduce traffic at Penn Station in New York while the railroad works to restore and modernize tunnels under the East River . Two of the four 114-year-old tubes under the river were damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and will be almost completely rebuilt.

By solving problems in New York, Amtrak will establish a connection that some riders have sought for a long time, said Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, a nonprofit interest group .

“Our members have had a long-standing dream of restoring a one-seat ride from the Midwest to Florida,” Matthews said in a written statement. “We’re thrilled that a new generation of American passengers will be able to experience this service for themselves.”

Amtrak calls the Floridan temporary but hasn’t said when it will end. Amtrak estimates the East River tunnel project will be finished sometime in 2027.

South of Washington, the Floridan will serve the same cities as the Silver Star, including Rocky Mount, Southern Pines and Hamlet. From Washington north, the train will follow the Capitol Limited route, including stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toledo.

The other Florida train that passes through North Carolina, the Silver Meteor , will not change. It follows a different route through the state and makes only two stops, at Rocky Mount and Fayetteville, en route between New York and Miami.

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