I just completed a trip aboard the longest passenger train in the United States, almost a mile long from tip to tip. I stepped on it in the afternoon in Virginia and woke up the next morning in Florida. And best of all – I had my own car there waiting for me!
More About the AutoTrain
It’s Amtrak’s AutoTrain, and it’s the only train in the whole country where you can ride the train, and bring your car with you! I’m always surprised by how many people don’t even know it exists.
I had been wanting to try this out for the longest time and finally had the chance this past June. Leaving from Grand Rapids with two granddaughters, I stopped overnight in Pennsylvania to pick up two more granddaughters before driving to Lorton, Virginia, the northern departure point for the AutoTrain.
It departs at 4pm, but you have to have your car there no later than 2:30. We experienced some stressful driving in traffic around the nation’s capital, but arrived in Lorton with time to spare. On the way home, we just did everything in reverse.
The Whole Process Is Fascinating
The carriers for the vehicles look like double decker horse trailers. After turning over our car and keys to the attendants, we went into the station to wait. The stations at each end (Lorton, Virginia and Sanford, Florida) are quite similar but we found the one in Sanford offered a few more amenities, including a food truck park with more variety than the train station cafe, plus a free shuttle to the historic downtown area for strolling and shopping – along with a promise to get you back before the train leaves!
The two trips themselves were also fairly similar, except on the way down there were far fewer passengers. My four granddaughters and I each had a whole row of seats to ourselves – very handy at night when we wanted to stretch out for sleeping!
On the way back, it was a full house, a total of 44 train cars, 30 for vehicles and 14 more carrying over 600 travelers. In that case, it was necessary to sleep sitting up in our reclining coach seats overnight.
If I had been traveling by myself, I would have upgraded to a “roomette,” a private room with seats that fold into bunkbeds. I have used them before and enjoyed them. While not spacious, I appreciate the privacy, the chance to lay flat, and the fact that your meals are included! But they are not cheap, and with five of us traveling, I would have needed a total of three roomettes. Just too pricey! I was fine sleeping overnight in coach for the one night each way. Longer than that, not so sure!
So, Would I Use the AutoTrain Again?
Definitely. For all of us, it was the old adage about “the journey being as much fun as the destination.” I loved leaving a big chunk of the driving on this trip to someone else, while I sat back and enjoyed the scenery. My granddaughters loved being able to get up and walk around, talk with other passengers and train staff, play cards in the lounge, and visit the café car.
But what made this train trip even sweeter was having my own car waiting for me at the other end. I had to pay to have my car “ride” the train, of course, but figure I would have spent about as much to rent a car. I prefer the familiarity of my own car, plus I could skip the hassle of getting to or from a car rental location.
We also left most of our items packed in the car, bringing just what we needed for overnight on the train. No transferring all our luggage to and from a rental. On the way down, I paid a little extra to have our car be of the first unloaded so we could maximize our sightseeing. On the way back, there was no pressure, so we just waited for our car. It took about 45 minutes.
If I plan a trip to Florida with another set of grandkids, I will definitely “choo-choo” choose the Amtrak AutoTrain!
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you heard of the AutoTrain? Would you try it? Do you think it would be convenient for you?
