Little-known rail success: Riders flock to Amtrak's long-distance Auto Train
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Waiting to board the Auto Train in Sanford, Fla. Photo: Niala Boodhoo
Ridership on Amtrak's Auto Train, the largest passenger train in the world, continues to grow.
Why it matters: The Amtrak Auto Train, which runs on a 900-mile southeast route, is a railway success story you've probably never heard of.
- One of its three profitable lines, the Auto Train carries a comparatively small number of passengers, but appeals to snowbirds and families who want to bring their vehicles and belongings to and from areas near D.C. and Orlando, Florida.
By the numbers: Auto Train ridership has outpaced pre-pandemic levels — part of an overall boom for Amtrak ridership in recent years, the transit company said in a statement.
- In fiscal year 2019, Auto Train transported around 236,000 passengers, and by fiscal year 2022, that had increased to around 279,000.
How it works: Every day, a train each leaves Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida at 5pm (bonus: Sometimes it's early!) and arrives in the other city at 10am. The train only stops once overnight to switch out the engineering crew.
- You can only ride the Auto Train if you bring your car, which cost me $285 for my small-sized SUV. (Cost depends on vehicle type.)
- Amtrak says consider your car like a "checked bag" — you can pack it as much as you want, but when you get to the station, you exit your vehicle, which then goes to the car portion of the train.
- People can get either a coach seat or first class, with options for a roomette for two, a bedroom or bedroom suite. Costs vary greatly depending on demand.
- (In my personal experience, I paid as little as $139 for a roomette, but that's a steal — I've also paid at least twice or three times that. Bedrooms are usually more than $1,000.)
- Coach and roomettes share bathrooms and a shower with others in that passenger carriage. Bedrooms contain their own bathroom and shower.
Thought bubble: I first took the Auto Train when I relocated from Miami to D.C. during the pandemic in 2020. It's been a winter trip every year since. I love not driving the 13–18 total hours on 1-95 from D.C. to Florida — and watching the beautiful landscape across some of our journey.
- The lie-flat beds in roomettes are pretty comfortable — basically a small twin bed — while the coach seat allows for a full recline and is bigger than a first-class airplane seat.
- It's not just snowbirds. Passengers, including many families, are super friendly, and there's fun conversation to be had in the waiting room (and this is from someone who avoids airplane conversations!).
Cons: Almost all of the food, even in first class, is like going back to airplane meals of my childhood, and that is not good. As someone who doesn't eat red meat, the offerings are even more meager.
- When the train is full (and then invariably late), you can wait an hour or so after you arrive to get your car.