Palmetto (train) - History

History

Amtrak introduced the Palmetto on June 15, 1976. The train drew its name from the Sabal palmetto, the state tree of South Carolina. The name Palmetto Limited had also been used by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad for a New York—St. Petersburg train which first ran in December 1909. The Palmetto was the first train in the Southern United States to receive the then-new Amfleet equipment, and the 828-mile (1,333 km) run was the longest at the time for the new coaches. At the time of introduction Amtrak planned to run the Palmetto daily for the summer only, with service ending September 8. In August Amtrak extended the Palmetto indefinitely, citing better-than-expected ridership. In October 1976 the Florida Department of Transportation urged Amtrak to extend the Palmetto south to Miami, Florida.

Between October 1984 and September 1985 the Palmetto ran combined with the Carolinian between New York and Richmond, Virginia. At Richmond the Carolinian continued separately to Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Carolinian was discontinued after the state of North Carolina withdrew its support for the train. The Carolinian has since been restored and runs from Charlotte to New York Penn Station.

In December 1988 Amtrak extended the Palmetto south to Jacksonville, Florida. The train continued to be coach-only, without full dining service. Beginning on May 12, 1990 the Palmetto again combined with a revived Carolinian, although this time the split occurred in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The two trains began running independently in April 1991. In October 1994 the Palmetto became a full overnight train with sleeper and dining car service, running through to Tampa, Florida. This replaced the Silver Meteor's Tampa section. This extension was short-lived: budget cuts under the Clinton Administration led to the Palmetto's discontinuance on February 1, 1995.