Palmetto (train)

Palmetto
A Palmetto pulls into Wilson, North Carolina
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Locale	Southern United States
First service	June 15, 1976
Last service	present
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Average ridership	539 daily 196,743 total (FY11)
Route
Start	New York
End	Savannah, Georgia
Distance travelled	829 miles (1,334 km)
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	89/90
On-board services
Class(es)	Reserved coach Business class
Catering facilities	Lounge car
Baggage facilities	Baggage car
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet coaches
Gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Track owner(s)	Amtrak, CSX
Route map Legend Distance Station 0 New York City(subway) New York/New Jersey border North River Tunnels 10 mi (16 km) Newark (PATH) 58 mi (93 km) Trenton (River Line) New Jersey/Pennsylvania border 91 mi (150 km) Philadelphia (SEPTA) Pennsylvania/Delaware border 116 mi (190 km) Wilmington Delaware/Maryland border 185 mi (300 km) Baltimore (Light Rail) Maryland/District of Columbia border 225 mi (360 km) Washington, DC (METRO) District of Columbia/Virginia border 234 mi (380 km) Alexandria (VRE) 334 mi (540 km) Richmond 362 mi (580 km) Petersburg Virginia/North Carolina border 460 mi (740 km) Rocky Mount 476 mi (770 km) Wilson 502 mi (810 km) Selma-Smithfield 550 mi (890 km) Fayetteville North Carolina/South Carolina border Dillon 633 mi (1,000 km) Florence 672 mi (1,100 km) Kingstree 728 mi (1,200 km) Charleston 782 mi (1,300 km) Yemassee South Carolina/Georgia border 829 mi (1,300 km) Savannah

The Palmetto is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak over the 829 miles (1,334 km) from New York City south to Savannah, Georgia via the Northeast Corridor to Washington, DC, then via Richmond, Virginia, Fayetteville, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina. The Palmetto is a shorter version of the Silver Meteor, which continues south to Miami, Florida.

During fiscal year 2011, the Palmetto carried nearly 200,000 passengers, an increase of 3.8% from FY2010. The train had a total revenue of $16,438,480 during FY2011, a 7% increase over FY2010.

History

Amtrak introduced the Palmetto on June 15, 1976. The train drew its name from the Sabal palmetto, the state tree of South Carolina. The name Palmetto Limited had also been used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad for a New York—St. Petersburg train which first ran in December 1909. The Palmetto was the first train in the Southern United States to receive the then-new Amfleet equipment, and the 828-mile (1,333 km) run was the longest at the time for the new coaches. At the time of introduction Amtrak planned to run the Palmetto daily for the summer only, with service ending September 8. In August Amtrak extended the Palmetto indefinitely, citing better-than-expected ridership. In October 1976 the Florida Department of Transportation urged Amtrak to extend the Palmetto south to Miami, Florida.

Between October 1984 and September 1985 the Palmetto ran combined with the Carolinian between New York and Richmond, Virginia. At Richmond the Carolinian continued separately to Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Carolinian was discontinued after the state of North Carolina withdrew its support for the train.

In December 1988 Amtrak extended the Palmetto south to Jacksonville, Florida. The train continued to be coach-only, without full dining service. Beginning on May 12, 1990 the Palmetto again combined with a revived Carolinian, although this time the split occurred in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The two trains began running independently in April 1991. In October 1994 the Palmetto became a full overnight train with sleeper and dining car service, running through to Tampa, Florida. This replaced the Silver Meteor's Tampa section. This extension was short-lived: budget cuts under the Clinton Administration led to the Palmetto's discontinuance on February 1, 1995.

From the late 90s to late 2002, the Palmetto was known as the Silver Palm (part of the Silver Service brand). Until November 1, 2004 the Palmetto continued south to Jacksonville, Florida with the Silver Meteor and Silver Star, but turned west at Jacksonville to Baldwin and then ran south via Ocala to Coleman on the old Seaboard Air Line Railroad main line. From Coleman it continued southwest to Lakeland, then west to Tampa, reversing direction to Auburndale and running south to Miami. In 1988, the segment between Coleman and Auburndale was abandoned and the Palmetto was run through Dade City. Part of the former SAL line is now the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail between Mabel and Polk City. With the truncation to Savannah, the Silver Star was rerouted to service Tampa; the old Jacksonville-Lakeland route is now served by a Thruway Motorcoach bus transfer from the Silver Star, which serves all the former stations as well as Gainesville.

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.

Route

The Palmetto's route has not changed significantly since it first ran in 1976. It parallels the Florida-bound Silver Meteor, making additional station stops. When introduced in 1976 it included two new stations: Dillon and Kingstree, South Carolina. As of 2011 Kingstree sees the Silver Meteor as well. The Palmetto added Selma, North Carolina (Smithfield) in October 1982.

Details

The Palmetto operates over Amtrak and CSX Transportation trackage:

• Amtrak Northeast Corridor, New York to Washington
• CSX RF&P Subdivision, Richmond Terminal Subdivision, North End Subdivision, South End Subdivision, Charleston Subdivision, and Savannah Subdivision, Washington to Savannah

Station stops

The Palmetto, trains 89 southbound and 90 northbound, makes the following station stops:

New York

• New York

New Jersey

• Newark
• Trenton

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia

Delaware

• Wilmington

Maryland

• Baltimore

District of Columbia

• Washington Union Station

Virginia

• Alexandria
• Richmond Staples Mill Road
• Petersburg

North Carolina

• Rocky Mount
• Wilson
• Selma-Smithfield
• Fayetteville

South Carolina

• Dillon
• Florence
• Kingstree
• Charleston
• Yemassee

Georgia

• Savannah

Consist

The Palmetto generally operates with a General Electric Genesis P42DC locomotive, a baggage car from Amtrak's Heritage Fleet, and five Amfleet passenger cars.

External links

• Amtrak - Silver Service / Palmetto