COLUMBIA — A new temporary Amtrak train route will connect South Carolina with Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and other cities this year, the national passenger railroad operator announced this week.
The daily "Floridian Line" will connect two existing lines: the Silver Star, which runs along the East Coast and passes through Columbia on its way from Miami to New York; and the Capitol Limited, which links Washington, D.C. and Chicago's Union Station.
South Carolina passengers can access the line directly at the Amtrak stations in Columbia, Camden and Denmark.
Lowcountry riders can hitch a ride on the Floridian in the nation's capital via Amtrak's coastal Palmetto Line, which makes South Carolina stops in Yemassee, North Charleston, Kingstree, Florence and Dillon.
The Floridian's first run is scheduled for Nov. 10. Tickets are available now.
Amtrak did not say how long the route would be in service.
The change is being driven by a major project that will disrupt rail service for several years along the busy Boston-to-D.C. Northeast Corridor.
The East River Tunnel overhaul will require the passenger carrier to close each of the four 114-year-old rail “tubes” that run under the New York City waterway one at a time “to safely and efficiently conduct modernization work, resulting in minor capacity limits on train operations in this area,” according to a written statement.
The $1.6 billion project is scheduled to be completed in 2027. The construction contract was awarded in June.
The temporary Miami-to-the Midwest connection "will free up badly needed equipment while taking pressure off Northeast Corridor infrastructure during the renovation,” Jim Mathews, president and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association, said in a statement provided by Amtrak.
Travelers on the new route can choose from a coach ticket that provides “wide, reclining seats with ample legroom" with a window view. Or they can upgrade to a first-class private room and sitdown meal service. A spokesman said the new service would include the newest model of sleeping cars.
Amtrak's website showed the trip by rail from Columbia to Chicago takes about 29½ hours, with fares ranging from $95 to $1,736.