The United States might not be back to normal yet, but Amtrak is restoring normal service for 12 of its long-distance routes. The company restricted its train schedule in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and operations have remained reduced for several months. Thanks to COVID relief funding, daily service will resume again for the following 12 Amtrak long-distance routes.
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These Amtrak Routes Are Finally Returning to Their Daily Schedules
Resuming May 24:
- California Zephyr (Chicago — Omaha — Denver — Salt Lake City — San Francisco)
- Coast Starlight (Seattle — Portland — Sacramento — Oakland — Los Angeles)
- Empire Builder (Chicago — St. Paul-Minneapolis — Spokane — Portland/Seattle)
- Texas Eagle (Chicago — St. Louis — Dallas — San Antonio — Los Angeles)
Resuming May 31:
- Capitol Limited (Washington DC — Pittsburgh — Cleveland — Chicago)
- City of New Orleans (Chicago — Memphis — Jackson — New Orleans)
- Lake Shore Limited (New York/Boston — Albany — Buffalo — Chicago)
- Southwest Chief (Chicago — Kansas City — Albuquerque — Los Angeles)
Resuming June 7:
- Crescent (New York — Washington, DC — Atlanta — New Orleans)
- Palmetto (New York — Washington, DC — Charleston — Savannah)
- Silver Meteor (New York — Savannah — Jacksonville — Orlando — Miami)
- Silver Star (New York — Raleigh — Jacksonville — Orlando — Tampa — Miami)
Bill Flynn, Amtrak’s CEO, said, “Offering daily long-distance service represents a vital step in our road to recovery. Recognising the immense value of our employees, we’d like to thank Congress for enabling service restoration and helping us recall furloughed employees.”
All destinations and departure/arrival times will resume as normal, the Auto Train will continue to operate daily, and the Cardinal and Sunset Limited trains tri-weekly.
Just because Amtrak’s routes are returning to normal, that doesn’t mean COVID-19 safety measures will be dropped. Amtrak requires all customers and employees to wear a mask while onboard and in station, and limited booking will remain in place to allow for physical distancing. 