Amtrak announced full restoration of daily service for 12 long-distance routes that include three north-south trains that stop in Wilmington.
Service was suspended after pandemic-related schedule reductions last year.
Thanks to Covid relief funding, Amtrak will recall the more than 1,200 furloughed employees. The funding is contingent on President Biden’s signature on the final bill. Biden, a long-time Amtrak passenger, is expected to sign the relief bill.
“Offering daily long-distance service represents a vital step in our road to recovery,” said Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn. “Recognizing the immense value of our employees, we’d like to thank Congress for enabling service restoration and helping us recall furloughed employees.”
The daily schedules will commence in May 2021 and extend into June.
May 24 |
May 31 |
June 7 |
California Zephyr(Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco) |
Capitol Limited(Washington DC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago) |
Crescent(New York, Wilmington, Washington DC, Atlanta, New Orleans) |
Coast StarlightSeattle, Portland, Sacramento, Oakland, Los Angeles |
City of New Orleans(Chicago, Memphis, Jackson, New Orleans) |
Palmetto(New York, Wilmington, Washington DC, Charleston, Savannah) |
Empire Builder(Chicago, Twin Cities, Spokane, Portland/Seattle) |
Lake Shore Limited(New York/Boston, Albany – Buffalo, Chicago) |
Silver Meteor(New York, Wilmington, Savannah, Jacksonville – Orlando, Miami) |
Texas Eagle(Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles) |
Southwest Chief(Chicago, Kansas City – Albuquerque, Los Angeles) |
Silver Star(New York, Wilmington, Raleigh, Jacksonville, Orlando Tampa, Miami) |
Destinations listed above do not represent an exhaustive list of all route stops. |
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All destinations and scheduled departure/arrival times served by the long-distance network will be maintained. Additionally, Amtrak will continue to operate the Auto Train daily. The train operates from a station south of Washington, DC., and allows passengers to take their vehicle to a Florida stop near Orlando.
The schedule restoration is part of Amtrak’s strategy for investing in long-distance service. Other components include:
- Fully-refreshed Amfleet II cars for Coach class routes along East Coast, including new seating cushions, carpets, curtains, and LED reading lights
- New Amtrak ALC-42 diesel-electric locomotives with higher performance and lower emissions will replace the current long-distance engine fleet this year.
- Private Rooms are now being offered on selected late-night trains between Boston and Washington D.C. with stops in Wilmington.
