Serving New York, Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, Tampa, and intermediate points
Amtrak train numbers: 89 and 90
Predecessor railroad train numbers: Atlantic Coast Line 77 and 78
In service on the Atlantic Coast Line, the Palmetto was an overnight train from New York to Savannah, with better arrival times in Charleston and Savannah than on the two Champion trains that went to Miami and Tampa.
Amtrak revived the Palmetto name in 1979, now operating it as a day train, on the opposite schedule from the Silver Service trains, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, that went to Florida.
In 1990, the Palmetto was extended to Jacksonville, and in 1993, it was extended to Tampa as the replacement for the Tampa section of the Silver Meteor, gaining sleeping car service in the process.
Amtrak's 1995 budget cuts resulted in the discontinuance of the Palmetto. Its train numbers and schedule were later revived as the Silver Palm. Then, on April 29, 2002, when the Silver Palm lost its sleeping car in favor of a business class coach, it was renamed the Palmetto to distinguish it from the other two Silver Service trains that still featured sleping car service.
Condensed historical timetables:
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(1956) (1980) (1990) (1994) (2002) (2002) (1994) (1990) (1980) (1956)
1:15P 8:00A 7:15A 9:25A 7:45A Dp New York Ar 9:08P 9:24P 11:10P 11:45P 9:55A
6:25P 1:05P 11:20A 1:55P 12:40P Washington 4:45P 4:55P 7:40P 7:10P 6:00A
1:37A 6:30P 4:43P 7:38P 6:21P Fayetteville 10:27A 10:36A 1:19P 12:30P 9:46P
7:30A 9:10P 7:43P 10:47P 9:38P Charleston 7:11A 7:21A 10:19A 9:30A 5:40P
9:30A 11:35P 9:40P 12:43A 11:19P Savannah 5:31A 5:45A 8:50A 8:00A 3:30P
----- ----- 11:55P 3:05A 1:58A Jacksonville 3:08A 2:21A 6:30A ----- -----
----- ----- ----- 8:40A 6:51A Tampa 10:25P 9:25P ----- ----- -----
----- ----- ----- ----- 12:10P Ar Miami Dp 5:00P ----- ----- ----- -----
The Amtrak Train Names Project