The ''Silver Star'' is a temporarily discontinued long-distance

passenger train A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line, as opposed to a freight train that carries goods. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) push-pull train, ...

operated by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

on a route between

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

via

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

;

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

;

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

;

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...

;

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

;

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

; and

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. The ''Silver Star'' and its sister train in the ''

Silver Service ''Silver Service'' was a brand applied by Amtrak to its long-distance trains running along the United States East Coast between New York City and Miami, Florida. It comprised two trains – the and . Since November 2024, the ''Silver Star'' ...

'' brand, the ''

Silver Meteor The ''Silver Meteor'' is a Long-distance Amtrak routes, long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1939 as the first diesel-powered streamliner between New York and Florida, it was t ...

'', are the descendants of numerous long-distance trains that operated between Florida and New York for most of the 20th century. On November 10, 2024, Amtrak temporarily combined the and ''Silver Star'', producing a Chicago-Washington–Miami route, the . During

fiscal year A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...

2023, the ''Silver Star'' carried 351,732 passengers, a decrease of 19.1% from FY2022. In November 2023, the train had a total revenue of $8.7 million.

History

Background

The ''Silver Star'' was originally a service of the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

(SAL), running from New York to Miami and later also

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

(beyond Tampa). It was previously known as the ''Advance Silver Meteor'', and was renamed on December 12, 1947, after the name was chosen by SAL in a contest. From 1947 to 1948, it was winter-only and did not appear in summer timetables. By 1949, however, it was a year-round train. Its main Miami-bound route went through the interior of Florida, via

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

and Winter Haven. In peak winter service in the mid-1950s it had a section that went to

via

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

. Another section went to Port Boca Grande via Tampa. The

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

(PRR) carried the train between New York and

under a haulage agreement, similar to the arrangement with its sister train, the ''Silver Meteor.'' The agreement was maintained when the PRR was folded into

Penn Central Transportation The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals, the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

in 1968, a year after SAL merged with the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

(ACL) to form the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

(SCL). Between Washington and

, the train operated on

RF&P The Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad was a railroad connecting Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C. The track is now the RF&P Subdivision of the CSX Transportation system; the original corporation is no longer a railroad com ...

rails. Amtrak took over the train in 1971.

Amtrak era

Except for a brief period from 1994 to 1995 and from 1996 to 2004, when service to Tampa was provided by the '' Palmetto'' (known as the '' Silver Palm'' from 1996 to 2002), the ''Silver Star'' once served both Tampa and Miami during the Amtrak era. Originally, Amtrak operated the ''Silver Star'' with Tampa and Miami sections that split in Jacksonville, with the Tampa section continuing on the old Atlantic Coast Line route through Orlando, and the Miami section traveling through

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 traveled intact all of the way, backing out of Tampa and retracing its route east to Auburndale, where it heads south to Miami or north to New York. The detour occurs at Lakeland; the train stops there to discharge passengers before going to Tampa and to receive passengers after it returns from Tampa. In the January 2011 issue of ''

Trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

'' magazine, this route was listed as one of five routes to be looked at by Amtrak in FY 2011 as the previous five routes (the ''Sunset Limited'', ''Texas Eagle'', ''California Zephyr'', ''Capitol Limited'', and ''Cardinal'') were examined in FY 2010. With the discontinuation of the ''Silver Meteor's'' former Tampa section (a descendant of the ''

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

,'' a longtime rival of the ''Silver Star'' and ''Silver Meteor'') in 1988, the ''Silver Star'' was then the only passenger train serving Tampa. On July 1, 2015, the ''Silver Star's'' dining car was completely removed from the train's consist, a controversial decision that Amtrak rationalized with the idea that sleeping car passengers could obtain meals from the train's café-lounge car. However, on May 1, 2020, the ''Silver Star's'' dining car was returned, and Amtrak introduced the “flexible dining” system to the train, which consists of pre-prepared meals which are then heated in either a convection oven or a microwave oven at the time of purchase. In a Rail Passengers Association webinar that took place on November 16, 2022, Amtrak's vice president of long-distance service revealed that traditional dining service was planned to be reintroduced on the ''Silver Meteor'' and the ''Silver Star'' "in early 2023." Following this announcement, beginning on northbound train 92 on March 15, 2023, traditional dining was reintroduced to the ''Silver Star'' for the first time since 2015. However, this was not a permanent rollout and was instead in the form of a 3-month pilot program gauged to test the success of the service. Southbound train 91 received the pilot on March 17. On June 24, 2023, traditional dining service was formally launched on the ''Silver Star'', as well as on northbound ''Silver Meteor'' train 98, and the ''Silver Star'' pilot program was replaced by permanent service. Southbound train 97 received traditional dining on June 26. However, coach passengers were not allowed access to the dining car on either the ''Silver Meteor'' or ''Silver Star'', unlike on Amtrak's western long-distance trains. Shortly after the formal rollout in another interview with the Rail Passengers Association, Amtrak's vice president of long-distance service stated that Coach Class access to the dining car was planned to be allowed by the end of 2023, however by January 2024 coach passengers still did not have access. On March 4, 2024, dining car access was finally expanded to coach passengers, mirroring service on Amtrak's western long-distance trains. On February 4, 2018, ''Silver Star'' train number 91 collided with a

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

freight train in

Cayce, South Carolina Cayce ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, along the Congaree River. Its population was 12,528 at the 2010 census and rose to 13,789 in the 2020 United States Census, and it is the third-most populated municipality in Lexington Count ...

; the engineer and a conductor of the ''Silver Star'' were killed, and 116 passengers were injured. Since 2012, issues have prevented Amtrak from moving from their current station to the

Miami Intermodal Center Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) is an intermodal passenger transport, intermodal rapid transit, commuter rail, local bus, and intercity bus transportation hub in Miami-Dade County, Florida, just outside the Miami city limits near the Grapeland ...

(MIC), primarily regarding the length of the platforms and lease agreements. Amtrak argued that the platforms were insufficient in length, as extra cars are normally added to the ''Silver Meteor'' and ''Silver Star'' during the winter season to accommodate increased demand. Tri-Rail began serving the MIC on April 5, 2015, and Greyhound began using the station on June 24, 2015. Amtrak had been expected to move to the MIC by the Fall of 2016, but in 2018 Amtrak rejected the terms of a lease agreement with FDOT and said it had no plans to move to the MIC. In 2021, Amtrak reached out to FDOT to begin negotiations again for utilization of the MIC, and in February 2022, negotiations officially restarted. Later in March 2022, a test train operated into and out of the station and proved that the platforms are sufficient in length to hold a standard 10 car train. However, the platforms are not long enough to accommodate an 11 to 12 car train, which could be possible in the winter months. In September 2022, Amtrak management announced that it had restarted lease negotiations with FDOT regarding use and maintenance of the terminal. One issue however, is the deadheading move that will need to take place between the MIC and Hialeah. Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner has stated that "the company is evaluating technical and operational aspects of the move." In an Amtrak Public Board Meeting Q&A on December 1, 2022, it was revealed that Amtrak was in the final stages of its preparations for relocating from their current Miami station, and had planned to relocate to the MIC in 2023. However, additional track area would need to be constructed for the Amtrak trains to turn back north, and Amtrak has no date indicated for when service will start at the MIC. On July 6, 2020, as the result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

reduced the frequency of this train to three times per week as opposed to daily. Southbound ''Silver Star'' trains departed New York Friday through Sunday, while ''Silver Meteor'' trains departed Monday through Thursday. Similarly, northbound ''Silver Star'' trains departed Miami on Thursday through Saturday, while ''Silver Meteor'' trains departed Sunday through Wednesday. Both trains resumed daily services on June 7, 2021, after additional Amtrak funding was included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Between January 24 and October 14, 2022, the ''Silver Star'' temporarily added a station stop in

Jesup, Georgia Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, Wayne County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County, Georgia, Wayne County. History By February 1869, Wi ...

due to the suspension of its sister train, the ''Silver Meteor'', which is normally the only train that stops at that station. This was due to a resurgence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as well as a further delay caused by

Hurricane Ian Hurricane Ian was a devastating tropical cyclone which was the third costliest natural disaster, weather disaster on record worldwide. It was also the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and ...

. During this period the ''Silver Star'' provided a single once daily service between New York and Miami. On November 10, 2024, the ''Capitol Limited'' and were merged into a Chicago–Washington–Miami service, the . The ''Floridian'' service is intended to be temporary to accommodate equipment shortages and planned rehabilitation work in the

East River Tunnels The East River Tunnels are four single-track railroad passenger service tunnels that extend from the eastern end of Pennsylvania Station under 32nd and 33rd Streets in Manhattan and cross the East River to Long Island City in Queens. The trac ...

Rolling stock

Under SAL operation, the ''Silver Star'' utilized passenger cars built by the

Budd Company The Budd Company was a 20th-century metal fabricator, a major supplier of body components to the automobile industry, and a manufacturer of stainless steel passenger rail cars, airframes, missile and space vehicles, and various defense produ ...

and Pullman Standard built either just before or after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and diesel-electric locomotives from the

EMD E-unit EMD E-units were a line of passenger train streamliner diesel locomotives built by the Electro-Motive Diesel, General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and its predecessor the Electro-Motive Corporation (EMC). Final assembly for all E-units ...

series. These cars utilized steam heating provided by a

steam generator Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

in the locomotive. This equipment continued to operate when Amtrak took over in 1971. E-units were replaced by newer power, such as the steam generator-equipped

EMD SDP40F The EMD SDP40F is a six-axle AAR wheel arrangement#C-C, C-C Diesel–electric transmission, diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel, Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973 to 1974. Based on Santa Fe's EMD ...

by the mid 1970's. Amtrak began rebuilding their inherited passenger cars in the late 1970's to utilize

Head-end power In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, ...

(HEP); these rebuilt cars were known as the "

Heritage Fleet Amtrak's Heritage Fleet consisted of the rolling stock provided to it when it assumed passenger service on commercial railroads. The name was applied to a 1977–1983 program that converted the older, mainly streamliner cars (rail), streamlined ...

." The train began using Heritage Fleet equipment on March 10, 1982, and subsequently HEP-equipped

EMD F40PH The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's ...

locomotives. The ''Silver Star'' used Amtrak's standard long-distance single-level equipment: Viewliner baggage, sleeping, and dining cars, and

Amfleet Amfleet is a fleet of single-level intercity railroad passenger car (rail), passenger cars built by the Budd Company for American company Amtrak in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Budd based the Amfleet design on its earlier Budd Metroliner, Me ...

coach and café-lounge cars. An ACS-64 electric locomotive is used between New York City and Washington, D.C., while two diesel-electric locomotives, either GE P42DC or Siemens ALC-42 locomotives, are used for power south of Washington, D.C. Amtrak began replacing the older P42DC locomotives with ALC-42 locomotives in 2023. A typical ''Silver Star'' consists of the following * ACS-64 locomotive (New York–Washington) * P42DC or ALC-42 locomotive (Washington–Miami) * P42DC or ALC-42 locomotive (Washington–Miami) * Amfleet II Coach * Amfleet II Coach * Amfleet II Coach * Amfleet II Café/Lounge Car * Viewliner II Dining Car * Viewliner I Sleeping Car * Viewliner II Sleeping Car * Viewliner II Baggage Car During the 2022 suspension of the ''Silver Meteor'', some coach and sleeping cars usually on the ''Silver Meteor'' were combined into the ''Silver Star'', creating a train with up to six coaches and five sleepers, in addition to the café-lounge, diner, and baggage car.

Route details

The ''Silver Star'' operated over a combination of Amtrak,

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

(CSXT), and

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

(NS) trackage: * New York –

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(Amtrak) **

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

: * Washington D.C. –

Selma, North Carolina Selma is a town in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,073, and as of 2018 the estimated population was 6,913. Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area. The area has a populatio ...

(CSXT) ** RF&P Subdivision ** Richmond Terminal Subdivision ** North End Subdivision ** South End Subdivision: * Selma –

(NS) ** Goldsboro to Greensboro District * Raleigh –

DeLand, Florida DeLand is a city in and the county seat of Volusia County, Florida, United States. The city sits approximately north of the central business district of Orlando, and approximately west of the central business district of Daytona Beach. It is ...

(CSXT) ** Aberdeen Subdivision ** Hamlet Terminal Subdivision ** Hamlet Subdivision ** Columbia Subdivision ** Savannah Subdivision ** Nahunta Subdivision ** Jacksonville Terminal Subdivision ** Sanford Subdivision * DeLand –

Poinciana, Florida Poinciana () is a settlement and census-designated place (CDP) in Osceola and Polk counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It is part of the Greater Orlando area. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 69,309. Transportation U.S ...

(SunRail) ** Central Florida Rail Corridor * Poinciana –

– Mangonia Park, Florida (CSXT) ** Carters Subdivision ** Lakeland Subdivision ** Tampa Terminal Subdivision ** Auburndale Subdivision **

Miami Subdivision The Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Miami Subdivision was a railroad line in Florida connecting the network to the city of Miami, Florida, Miami. Officially beginning in Wildwood, Florida, Wildwood on the company's Main Line (Seaboard Air Line Rail ...

* Mangonia Park –

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

(Tri-Rail) ** South Florida Rail Corridor The ''Silver Star'' used the same route as the ''

''the other train in the ''

'' brandexcluding two segments:

–

, and

Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a principal city of the Greater Orlando, O ...

–

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is located about east of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and about southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, with neighboring Lakeland, Florida, Lakeland located to its west. The city's popul ...

. Between Selma and Savannah, the ''Silver Star'' takes an inland route over the CSX S-Line to serve the Carolinas' state capitals of Raleigh and Columbia, while the ''Silver Meteor'' stays closer to the coast on the CSX A-Line and serves

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

and

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. Between Kissimmee and Winter Haven, the ''Silver Meteor'' turns south to go directly to Miami at Auburndale, Florida, while the ''Silver Star'' continues west to

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...

and Tampa, before coming back to Auburndale and turning south to Miami. In addition to these diversions, between

Sebring, Florida Sebring ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Highlands County, Florida, United States. It is nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District. It is the principal city of th ...

and

West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...

, the ''Silver Meteor'' makes no intermediate stops, while the ''Silver Star'' makes an additional stop at Okeechobee, Florida. Inversely, between Savannah and

, the ''Silver Meteor'' makes an additional stop at

, while the ''Silver Star'' made no intermediate stops. However, during the 2022 suspension of the ''Silver Meteor,'' the ''Silver Star'' temporarily served Jesup. Prior to October 1986, the ''Silver Star'' operated between

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33,458 with a majority bla ...

, and Raleigh via the CSX

Norlina Subdivision The Norlina Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of North Carolina. The line currently runs from Norlina, North Carolina, to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a total of 51.2 miles. At its north end the line com ...

, stopping only in

Henderson, North Carolina Henderson is a city in and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census. History The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Hender ...

. CSX abandoned the Norlina Subdivision between

Norlina, North Carolina Norlina ( ) is a town in Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,118 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2020 census ...

and Collier Yard (just south of Petersburg) in October 1986, which required the ''Silver Star'' to be rerouted over the CSX A-Line between Petersburg and Selma, then over the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Charlotte. The railroad carries over 70 freight trains operated by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger trains (Amtrak's ...

between Selma and Raleigh. The ''Silver Star'' is to be rerouted via its former routing when tracks between Petersburg and Norlina are rebuilt as part of the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor project, and reinstate its stop at Henderson, as well as adding a stop in La Crosse, Virginia. Like other long-distance trains operating on the Northeast Corridor, local travel between NEC stations is not allowed on the ''Silver Star''. Northbound trains only stop to discharge passengers from

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

northward, and southbound trains only stop to receive passengers from

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

to Washington. This policy is in place to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips. Passengers wanting to travel locally must use the more frequent ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busie ...

'' or ''

Acela The ''Acela'' ( ; originally the ''Acela Express'' until September 2019) is Amtrak's flagship passenger train service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) in the Northeastern United States between Washington, D.C. and Boston via 13 intermedia ...

'' trains. Additionally, the ''Silver Star,'' like the ''Silver Meteor,'' does not allow local travel between West Palm Beach and Miami. Southbound trains only stop to discharge passengers, while northbound trains only stop to receive passengers bound for points beyond West Palm Beach. This is due to the availability of

Tri-Rail Tri-Rail is a commuter rail service linking Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in Florida, United States. The ''Tri'' prefix in the name refers to the three counties served by the railroad: Palm Beach County, Palm Beach, Broward Count ...

, South Florida's commuter rail system. Since Amtrak ended passenger rail service over the CSX Clearwater Subdivision between Tampa and

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

in February 1984,''

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

'' bus service has been provided at

Tampa Union Station Tampa Union Station is an Amtrak train station in Tampa, Florida. The station is located at 601 North Nebraska Avenue ( SR 45). Built in 1912, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 as Union Railroad Station The station ...

for trainside transfer of passengers and their baggage to and from

Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...

and St. Petersburg. Other points on Florida's west coast, such as

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a pri ...

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, Port Charlotte, Florida and

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

, are also served by Amtrak Thruway service connecting with the ''Silver Star'' at Tampa.Amtrak Website
/ref> Similarly, Amtrak has provided Amtrak Thruway bus service between the former stations along the CSX Wildwood Subdivision in North-Central Florida since November 2004 after passenger rail service ended, as well as

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...

and The Villages-Lady Lake, Florida. The former stations that are now served by Amtrak Thruway buses are: Waldo, Florida,

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

Wildwood, Florida Wildwood is a city in Sumter County, Florida, Sumter County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,730 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Wildwood has been in operation since 1881. The city was named for its remote location ...

, and

Dade City, Florida Dade City, officially the City of Dade City, is a city in, and the county seat of Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is located in the Tampa Bay Area, northeast of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. The popu ...

. These buses connect with the ''Silver Star'' at Jacksonville and Lakeland.

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