The first train to Florida that comes to most minds is an express line between two points --- Lorton, Virginia, on Interstate 95 just south of the Washington, D.C., Capital Beltway; and Sanford, Florida, north of Orlando on Interstate 4. These two stations serve only the Auto Train and are the only stops where you can board or leave, and you must have a vehicle to ride with you on the Auto Train. The train makes its 17 1/2-hour run once a day, departing late in the afternoon and arriving in the morning. Coach seating or various roomettes and bedrooms in the bilevel Superliner cars may be reserved at one-way prices from $146 to $944 for one adult, including a prepared dinner, movies and entertainment in the lounge car, and continental breakfast. Coach seats for a family of four are $438.
The Silver Meteor and the Silver Star run the same route from New York City to Tampa or Miami, except that through North and South Carolina the Silver Star bears right to Raleigh and Columbia, while the Silver Meteor continues to parallel Interstate 95 through Fayetteville, Florence and Charleston. The routes reconverge in Savannah, Georgia. The full trip is estimated at 28 hours for either train, with coach and Silverliner sleeping accommodations and dining cars. On the schedule published in October 2010, the Silver Star leaves New York daily in late morning, the Silver Meteor in midafternoon. Fares for one adult range from $209 to $963, depending on accommodations, and for a family of four from $627 to $1381. Meals are included with sleeping accommodations.
Though all of the route maps on Amtrak's website still show the Sunset Limited extending beyond New Orleans to serve a string of stations across Florida's panhandle, through Jacksonville and to Orlando, route requests on the "interactive Route Atlas" including panhandle stations come up empty, and all five routes offered by the atlas for rides from Los Angeles to Orlando involve trekking north to Chicago. New Orleans is the southern end of the line that divides east from west, and there are ways to make a route from there only up to D.C. to connect with the Silver Service trains. The Cardinal, which runs along the Ohio-Kentucky border, or the Pennsylvanian, connecting to Chicago at the northern edge of Ohio, will also bring you in to connect with the trains to Florida.
