[Bay Kid]

I need to take a car back to VA. I dread the 12 hour I 95 trip. The auto train sounds like an adventure. Would this be pricey for 1 person and a car?

[cologal]

I have friends who take the train yearly.

Here is a link to the website for the train

Amtrak

[REDCART]

Amtrak’s Auto train eliminates 855 miles of driving. Unfortunately the price is all over the map depending upon your travel date and how far in advance you purchase your ticket. We’ve seen the fare as low as $460 and over $1100. The cost includes two people and a car. Not sure if there’s a single person discount.

[LuckyS]

It is a nice adventure. The sleeper is a nice upgrade. Keep in mind delays are pretty common. I recently took a trip and we left 8 hours late.

[John_W]

The price varies by season, just like hotels and airlines. We traveled the Autotrain in April and it was $900 one way for 2 adults and a large car. We traveled round-trip in August with 2 adults and a compact car and it was $750 total round-trip. There is an $100 upcharge if you car is over a certain length.

There is only 2 stations, Sanford, Florida and Lorton, Va, which is just south of the Washington DC beltway just off I-95. The train departs everyday from each station at 4:00 pm and arrives the next morning about 9:30. You'll have dinner and breakfast served. The earlier you checkin the better choice you'll have for dinner, they service 3 different times. You'll be seated with people you don't know and you'll have a card with a couple of choices for food.

The seats are pretty good and do recline without effecting your neighbors behind you like an airline seat does. The earlier you checkin, the better choice of seat. We always take the last seats in the car, that way no one is behind you and you're closer to the stairs and the restroom downstairs. The seats are in the upper deck which gives you a good view. Downstairs, besides the restrooms will be sleepers and places for handicap. Sleepers are really just a curtain around a seat that will lay flat, and it's about $350 extra.

The trains can be delayed or you can arrive early. We've been as late as 4 hours once coming into Sanford because the train hit 2 people on the tracks in Apopka. They had to bring in a new crew just to drive the last one hour, plus inspectors have to OK the tracks, the police has to investigate the accident, helicopter had to minivac one of the injured. A lot happens when they hit a pedestrian.

We've also arrive an hour early once in Virginia. Then you must wait for you're car. You can pay an extra $50 and have your car off loaded first, otherwise you'll have to wait up to 90 minutes to receive your car. Checking in early has benefits, but it also means your car will be one of the last to be offloaded. We generally checkin at the station about 2:00 so we have our choice of seats and dinner time. The stations are nice with big screen TV's on all the news channels. Generally you'll board about 3:30 if your train is on time. At Sanford they have half the train on one side of the station and half on the other side. They then have a local engine move half of the train to connect to the main train, this can take about 30 minutes. Sometimes the A/C will go on and off when this happens. Also, the train will have to stop at various points along the route because CSX owns the tracks, and the Autotrain has to stop to allow a freight train to pass. Usually all of this is taken into account when they figure the time enroute.

Enjoy your trip, we've done it 3 times and it was fun!

[JoMar]

We also used the auto train several times and upgraded to a bedroom. So much better than sitting in the coach section but it all depends on budget since the bedrooms are based on two folks. If you travel coach I would assume you can go as a single but make the call or check the website.

[Dan9871]

Originally Posted by Bay Kid

I need to take a car back to VA. I dread the 12 hour I 95 trip. The auto train sounds like an adventure. Would this be pricey for 1 person and a car?

We used it from VA to FL. It was great. For two people + car it was about $850 (it was four years ago so I might remember it wrong ) It included a sleeperette cabin and priority unloading. With priority unloading your car unloaded earlier than the others on the train. Our car was ready about 10 minutes after we got off the train.

[EdFNJ]

My friend and his family had reservation to come down from up north a few weeks ago with reservations at Disney. The day before he was to come down the train was cancelled without reason. He called and was told nothing other than “sorry,you can have a refund.” He had to drive and lost an expensive 2 days at WDW. He still hasn’t found the actual reason (wasn’t weather or accidents on the track).




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My user name should be EdF(formerly from)NJ and glad to be gone. [emoji3]

[big guy]

"The seats are pretty good and do recline without effecting your neighbors behind you like an airline seat does. The earlier you checkin, the better choice of seat. We always take the last seats in the car, that way no one is behind you and you're closer to the stairs and the restroom downstairs. The seats are in the upper deck which gives you a good view. Downstairs, besides the restrooms will be sleepers and places for handicap. Sleepers are really just a curtain around a seat that will lay flat, and it's about $350 extra."


We have taken this train and had a sleeping berth. It was two seats that face one another. It can be made completely private since it has a door and windows. There are curtains that can be pulled over them. The two seats are made into a bed for 1 and another bed is pulled down from above. It becomes a bunk. I don't remember it being an extra $350 because I don't think we would have done it for that much. Our porter was very patient and remade the upper bed so that I could climb up in a way that was more comfortable for me. A word of advice, try to get a berth towards the back of the train so that you can't hear the train whistle so loudly. There are a lot of crossings and the horn (or whistle) is used at every one. So my sleep was in 15 or 20 minute intervals. My husband was on the bottom bed and was not bothered by it.

[spk7951]

On occasion I have noticed on the web site Amtrak will show a Service Disruption for the Autotrain. Last time we used the Autotrain I asked an attendant what that meant. Her explanation was that sometimes one of the trains will get off schedule and if the delay is bad enough then Amtrak will cancel a day to get both trains back on schedule.
I know after the 1st nor'easter train travel north of DC was shut down and the northbound Autotrain got some 8hrs off schedule. Couple days later they announced a Service Disruption.

[LittleDog]

We've used the autotrain going north 3 times. On one trip there were empty seats so you could use 2 seats for sleeping. I never rented a sleeper because of the extra price and I figure that one night with a non restful sleep is better than spending all that extra money. However my wife can sleep anywhere so it wasn't an issue with her. If you decide to not rent a sleeper I would recommend that you bring a pillow and a blanket as what they offer on the train is a small pillow and a light blanket.

Can't recall the exact prices.

John

[l2ridehd]

Have used it 4 times and would recommend it. I get the roomette and it works fine. Two bunk beds made up by porter. Two comfortable chairs when not used as beds. So get on board, get your roomette, go have dinner (decent), go to the bar have a couple drinks, go to bed, get up, have breakfast, and your there. If you buy your tickets way in advance they are pretty cheap. I think I paid around $500 last time for car, two people, two meals each and the roomette. Gas costs me about $100 so I think it's a bargain. But if you buy only a week or two before I think it's expensive. Price has a very wide range. Depends on day traveled, season and how far in advance you buy.

Took the motorcycle one trip and it was really reasonable. But they put 3 bikes on a pallet and I was alone. Still had the roomette and dinner and breakfast. But that was only like $350.

[USA2Elsewhere]

It would be over $1,000 for 2 adults and car going from PA to SC round trip.but this was with a sleeper.

[OldMax]

Timing is formost. We took the auto train in early December last year to Virginia and with a small room cost about $563. To make a return right after New Years the price increased to almost $1100. Call and ask about different times if that is an option.

[Bob2H-in-1]

There's a whistle at every grade crossing, especially as you go further south from Lorton. After a pleasant dinner, you need sleep. That's challenging because of the bothersome noise. As for me, I am a light sleeper. Bottom line: I'd rather drive from Northern VA and overnight in a nice town amidst pleasant ambiance and a noise-free environment, with a very easy trip to TV the next day. That said, if you opt for Amtrak, do pay for the premium car unloading. Though 65 miles to TV, it's tough if you haven't slept well on the train overnight.