Does Amtrak's Auto Train cover the same route mileage as other Amtrak trains? I know that the Auto Train only has two station stops---the beginning and the end---but are there other Amtrak trains that cover these exact same rails? Just wondering because the articles all say that Chris has ridden all of Amtrak's routes at least two times, but I think the Auto Train is something he has never ridden but would someday like to.
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Hey Smitty,
The Auto-Train operates from Lorton to Richmond on the old RF&P route and then southward through the Carolinas on the old ACL route. Every mile that the Auto-Train operates is covered by the Silver Meteor. The Silver Star shares the route from Lorton to Selma, NC and then again from Savannah southward to Sanford.
Moreover, the Palmetto is also on the Auto-Train's route north of Savannah and the Carolinian joins in at Selma, NC.
Posted by smitty195 (Member # 5102) on :
Thanks, David. I'm not familiar with the east coast routes very much. I kinda figured other Amtrak trains had to travel the same rails as the Auto Train. Thanks for the info!
Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :
Oh......and the Auto-Train does stop on each trip at Florence, SC for fuel, servicing, and crew change.
When I lived in Fayetteville, NC in the mid-90's, Amtrak ran a series of billboards on adjacent I-95 with that faux blurry lettering that read "Tired Yet? Consider Auto-Train!" An Amtrak agent I knew at Fayetteville told me I would be surprised at the number of people who would wheel in off I-95 about dark and inquire about getting themselves and their car on the Auto-Train out of Fayetteville that night.
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