The Ultimate Guide to Amtrak Routes [Regional & Long-Distance] (2025)

Long-Distance Trains
Auto Train
Origin City	Lorton, VA
End City	Sanford, FL
Total Transit Time	17 hours 29 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Lake Monroe, Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Orlando International Airport (MCO), Savannah River, Francis Marion National Forest, and Potomac River
Major Cities en Route	No major cities along the route
Lounges en Route	No lounges along the route
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Traditional dining for private room passengers Café service for coach passengers Wi-Fi available
California Zephyr
Origin	Chicago, IL
End City	Emeryville, CA
Total Transit Time	2 days 3 hours 20 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, Colorado River, Ruby Canyon, Wasatch Mountains, Great Salt Lake, Toano Range, Goshute Valley, the northern edge of the Ruby Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Donner Lake, Donner Pass, and Moffat Tunnel California Zephyr Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Burlington, IA Omaha, NE Denver, CO Glenwood Springs, CO Salt Lake City, UT Reno, NV Sacramento, CA Emeryville, CA (San Francisco)
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Dining service Café service Checked baggage Checked bicycles
Capitol Limited
Origin City	Washington, D.C.
End City	Chicago, IL
Total Transit Time	18 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Allegheny Mountains, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. museums, Jefferson Rock, Potomac River, Belle Boyd House, Willis Tower, Chicago Loop, Lake Erie, Cedar Point, Allegany Museum, and Viaduct Junction Capitol Limited Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Harpers Ferry, WV Cumberland, MD Pittsburgh, PA Cleveland, OH Toledo, OH Waterloo, IN South Bend, IN
Lounges en Route	Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation) Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Flexible dining service: available exclusively for private room passengers Café service Checked baggage Onboard bicycle racks
Cardinal
Origin City	New York, NY
End City	Chicago, IL
Total Transit Time	1 day 2 hours 30 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Chicago Union Station, Willis Tower, Hinton Historic District, Wilson Park, The Greenbrier, Potomac River, and the Pentagon Cardinal Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Newark, NJ Philadelphia, PA Baltimore, MD Washington, D.C. Charlottesville, VA White Sulphur Springs, WV Charleston, WV Cincinnati, OH Indianapolis, IN
Lounges en Route	New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation) Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Flexible dining service: available exclusively for private room passengers Café service Checked baggage Wi-Fi available Onboard bicycle racks
Carolinian / Piedmont
Origin City	New York, NY
End City	Charlotte, NC
Total Transit Time	13 hours 30 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. museums, Old Town Alexandria, Fredericksburg City Dock Park, downtown Raleigh, Boylan Bridge (view of Raleigh skyline), and downtown Greensboro
Major Cities en Route	Newark, NJ Philadelphia, PA Baltimore, MD Washington, D.C. Richmond, VA Jacksonville Raleigh, NC
Lounges en Route	New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation)
Services Offered	Coach class Business class Café service Checked baggage Wi-Fi available Onboard bicycle racks
City of New Orleans
Origin City	Chicago, IL
End City	New Orleans, LA
Total Transit Time	19 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Beale Street, Great Lakes, Lower Mississippi Delta region (with African and Caribbean architectural influences), Piney Woods, floral cities of Brookhaven and McComb, exotic swamps of the bayou, marshland, cypress trees and waterways, Pass-Manchac waterway, and Lake Pontchartrain; wildlife sightings include alligators and pelicans City of New Orleans Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Champaign-Urbana, IL Centralia, IL Carbondale, IL Memphis, TN Jackson, MS Hammond, LA
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge Magnolia Room
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Flexible dining service: available exclusively for private room passengers Café service Checked baggage Onboard bicycle racks
Coast Starlight
Origin City	Seattle, WA
End City (Vice Versa)	Los Angeles, CA
Total Transit Time	1 day 11 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Santa Ynez Mountains, Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg Air Force Base, America’s breadbasket, and Salinas Valley Coast Starlight Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Tacoma, WA Portland, OR Eugene-Springfield, OR Sacramento, CA San Francisco, CA Santa Barbara, CA
Lounges en Route	Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Business class Private rooms Dining service Café service Checked baggage Onboard bicycle racks
Crescent
Origin City	New York, NY
End City (Vice Versa)	New Orleans, LA
Total Transit Time	1 day 6 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Shenandoah Valley, Blue Ridge Mountains, Coosa River, historical landmarks like Sloss Furnaces, small towns like Tuscaloosa and Laurel, Empire State Building, Madison Square Garden, Schuylkill River Trail, Lake Lanier, Midtown Atlanta, Regions Field, Lake Pontchartrain, and Mercedes-Benz Superdome Crescent Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Washington, D.C. Charlottesville, VA Greensboro, NC Charlottesville, NC Atlanta, GA Birmingham, AL
Lounges en Route	New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation)
Services Offered	Coach class Sleeping cars Flexible dining service: available exclusively for sleeping car passengers Café service Checked baggage at select stations Wi-Fi available Onboard bicycle racks
Empire Builder
Origin City	Chicago, IL
End City (Vice Versa)	Seattle, WA
Total Transit Time	1 day 22 hours (timetable)
Highlights	North Dakota Plains, Big Sky Country, Glacier National Park, Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood, and Beacon Rock Empire Builder Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Milwaukee, WI St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN Fargo, ND Minot, ND Havre, MT Whitefish, MT Spokane, WA Portland, OR
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Dining service Café service Checked baggage Checked bicycles
Lake Shore Limited
Origin City	Boston, MA
End City (Vice Versa)	Chicago, IL
Total Transit Time	19 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Hudson River, Bannerman’s Island, West Point Military Academy, and National New York Central Railroad Museum in Elkhart Lake Shore Limited Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Syracuse, NY Buffalo-Depew, NY Erie, PA Cleveland, OH Toledo, OH
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge South Station Metropolitan Lounge New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Business class Private rooms Flexible dining service between New York, Albany, and Chicago Café service Checked baggage Wi-Fi available Checked bicycles
Northeast Regional
Origin City	Boston, MA
End City (Vice Versa)	Virginia Beach, VA
Total Transit Time	12 hours 30 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Art Museum of Philadelphia, Schuylkill River, Blue Ridge Mountains, Hotel Roanoke, and the Appalachian Trail
Major Cities en Route	New York, NY Charlottesville, VA Roanoke, VA Richmond, VA Newport News, VA Norfolk, VA
Lounges en Route	South Station Metropolitan Lounge New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation)
Services Offered	Coach class Business class Sleeping cars Flexible dining service Café service Amtrak Quiet Car Checked baggage Wi-Fi available
Silver Service
Silver Meteor and Silver Star
Origin City	New York, NY
End City (Vice Versa)	Miami, FL
Total Transit Time	1 day 3 hours 30 minutes (timetable)
Palmetto
Origin City	New York, NY
End City (Vice Versa)	Savannah, GA
Total Transit Time	16 hours 10 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Northeast cityscapes, the Deep South’s antebellum homes and Civil War sites, Florida’s beaches, coastal mangroves, modern metroplexes, Delaware Children’s Museum, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. museums, Old Town Alexandria, Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Virginia State Capitol, James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, and the Airborne & Special Operations Museum Silver Service Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Philadelphia, PA New York, NY Washington, D.C. Richmond, VA Charlottesville, VA Charleston, SC Savannah, GA Jacksonville, FL Orlando, FL Tampa, FL St. Petersburg-Pinellas, FL Fort Myers, FL
Lounges en Route	New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation)
Services Offered	Coach class Business class service Private rooms Flexible dining service: available exclusively for private room passengers Café service Checked baggage Wi-Fi available
Southwest Chief
Origin City	Chicago, IL
End City (Vice Versa)	Los Angeles, CA
Total Transit Time	1 day 18 hours (timetable)
Highlights	Desert landscape on Route 66, Bill Williams Mountain Range, Grand Canyon National Park, Pikes Peak, and the Rockies; wildlife sightings include bighorn sheep, bears, and elk Southwest Chief Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	St. Louis, MO Kansas City, MO Topeka, KS Dodge City, KS Raton, NM Lamy, NM (Santa Fe) Albuquerque, NM Flagstaff, AZ
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Dining service Café service Checked baggage
Sunset Limited
Origin City	New Orleans, LA
End City (Vice Versa)	Los Angeles, CA
Total Transit Time	2 days (timetable)
Highlights	Bayou Country, Mississippi River, Huey P. Long Bridge, Sesquicentennial Park, Tranquility Park, Historic Sunset Station, San Antonio Riverwalk, downtown Tucson, Iron Horse Park, California mountains, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park Sunset Limited Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	Houston, TX San Antonio, TX Tucson, AZ Maricopa, AZ Palm Springs, CA
Lounges en Route	Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Private rooms Dining service Café service Checked baggage
Texas Eagle
Origin City	Chicago, IL
End City (Vice Versa)	San Antonio, TX
Total Transit Time	1 day 8 hours 25 minutes (timetable)
Origin City	Chicago, IL
End City (Vice Versa)	Los Angeles, CA
Total Transit Time	2 days 17 hours 20 minutes
Highlights	Chicago Loop, Willis Tower, Gateway Arch, Mississippi River, Ozark Mountains, Arkansas River, downtown Dallas, Dallas Convention Center, John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza, Iron Horse Park, Riverwalk, and the Alamo Texas Eagle Route Guide
Major Cities en Route	St. Louis, MO Little Rock, AR Dallas, TX Fort Worth, TX Austin, TX San Antonio, TX Palm Springs, CA
Lounges en Route	Chicago Union Station Metropolitan Lounge St. Louis Lounge Los Angeles Union Station Metropolitan Lounge
Services Offered	Coach class Sleeping cars Traditional Dining Service: Café service in the Sightseer Lounge Checked baggage
Vermonter
Origin City	Washington, D.C.
End City (Vice Versa)	St. Albans, VT (Jay Peak)
Total Transit Time	13 hours 45 minutes (timetable)
Highlights	Aldis Hill Park, Cross Vermont Trail, Connecticut River, downtown Brattleboro, Holyoke Heritage State Park, Schuylkill River Trail, Delaware History Museum, and U.S. Capitol
Major Cities en Route	Essex JCT, VT Springfield, MA New York, NY
Lounges en Route	New York Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall Metropolitan Lounge Philadelphia 30th Street Station Metropolitan Lounge Union Station ClubAcela (soon to be Metropolitan Lounge after renovation)
Services Offered	Coach class Business class Café service Amtrak Quiet Car Wi-Fi available

The Ultimate Guide to Amtrak Routes [Regional & Long-Distance] (2025)

References