Amtrak Palmetto: Schedule, Stops, & Route Guide

The Amtrak Palmetto operates daily between New York City and Savannah, covering 829 miles in approximately 16 hours. It is one of three trains serving this route, alongside the Silver Meteor and Silver Star; however, it is the only one that does not continue to Florida.

The Palmetto is particularly useful for specific situations. It’s the best choice if you’re traveling between intermediate cities such as Richmond, Raleigh, or Charleston and don’t need to travel all the way to Florida. Additionally, it operates on a daytime schedule when traveling southbound, allowing you to enjoy the scenic views through the Carolinas rather than sleep through them.

This guide details the Palmetto’s route, station stops, schedule, and onboard amenities. I will also compare it with other trains on this route and indicate when it makes sense to book the Palmetto instead of the Silver Meteor or the Floridian.

Palmetto’s Host Railroads

• The Palmetto uses tracks owned by
  • CSX – 659 miles
  • Amtrak and other railroads – 170 miles

The most common causes of this train’s delays are interference from freight and passenger trains.

It’s important to note that Amtrak owns the tracks in the DC area and to the north, which means it has more control over on-time performance in those regions. 

Does the Palmetto have sleeping accommodations?

The Amtrak Palmetto is the only long-distance train without sleeper accommodations because it does not operate overnight.

Palmetto Coach Class

The Palmetto train offers coach seating, comfortable reclining seats, and decent legroom, ensuring a relaxing journey.

Each seat features a fold-down tray, an individual reading light, and a 120V grounded (three-prong) power outlet, providing you with the convenience you need for work or relaxation.

There are spacious overhead luggage racks and a storage shelf for your belongings at one end of the car.

Each coach has two bathrooms and conveniently placed trash receptacles.

Throughout your trip, you’ll also have access to the café car to purchase various foods and drinks. More on that later.

In the next section, you’ll find a typical coach car layout diagram.

Palmetto Business Class

Business class is located in a separate car behind the café car. Seats are assigned upon booking. If you are unsatisfied with your seat, you can change it for free before departure, subject to seat availability.

This car offers the same coach seating and complimentary non-alcoholic beverages. Passengers also receive 25% more points.

Palmetto Business and Coach Class Car Layout

Although your specific car may differ, this will give you an idea of what it might look like. Amtrak can change equipment at any time.

Add-ons

You can add a few extras to this trip for an additional fee.

Bikes

This train can accommodate standard, full-size bicycles (up to 50 lbs, 70 inches x 41 inches x 8.5 inches) on a first-come, first-served basis. Amtrak stores bikes in designated racks in the baggage car. Before you book, learn more about bringing your bike on Amtrak.

Pets

Amtrak allows dogs and cats weighing up to 20 pounds (combined weight of pet and carrier) for trips lasting up to seven hours. Before booking a reservation for your small, fluffy friend, review Amtrak’s pet policy and print out the necessary documentation, which you can find at that link.

If you have a service or comfort animal, read Amtrak’s service animal policy before booking to ensure your animal qualifies and that you have the appropriate documentation on your reservation.

Wi-Fi

Amtrak offers free Wi-Fi that supports basic web browsing.

Due to limited onboard bandwidth, our Wi-Fi does not support high-bandwidth activities, such as streaming music or video, or downloading large files.

Luggage

You can check bags on this train. Up to two bags, each weighing up to 50 lbs. and measuring no more than 75 linear inches, are allowed per person at no charge. Additional and oversized luggage is charged. Not all locations can handle checked baggage. Click the station links below to see if they offer checked baggage service.

Each passenger may carry on:

• One personal item, up to 25 pounds (12 kg), and 14 x 11 x 7 inches
• Two carry-on pieces of luggage, 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each

Charges apply to additional and oversized luggage; see Amtrak’s carry-on bag policy for more information.

Food on the Palmetto

When traveling on the Palmetto, I always enjoy visiting the café car. Sometimes, I opt for a light snack or a break to stretch my legs.

Palmetto’s café car offers a variety of options, including hot and cold meals, snacks, and beverages. These include soft drinks, hot beverages, and alcoholic drinks for those of legal age.

The café is available to all passengers for most of the journey. It usually opens after the train departs from the first station and closes before the train arrives at the final station. However, the café will temporarily close during attendants’ breaks and when the train stops in Washington, DC, for Amtrak locomotive changes.

While you can bring food and beverages on board, personal consumption of alcohol is not permitted. Additionally, due to FDA regulations, you cannot consume individual food items in the café car.

Palmetto On-Time Performance

In June 2026, Palmetto had a Customer On-Time Performance (OTP) of 48.1%, compared to a trailing 12-month average of 71.6%. Both values remain below Amtrak’s minimum standard of 80% for long-distance trains.

In June, passengers who arrived late experienced an average delay of 59 minutes. Over the past 12 months, late passengers had an average delay of 51 minutes.

The Palmetto operates on Amtrak-owned tracks from New York Penn Station to Washington, D.C., and primarily over CSX tracks south of Washington.

• CSX: In June, the largest category of delays caused by hosts was freight train interference, followed by interference from other passenger trains.

In June, the Customer OTP was significantly lower than the train’s trailing 12-month average. Passengers are advised to allow extra time when making separate train reservations, catching flights, picking up rental cars, or planning any other time-sensitive activities after arrival.

These preliminary figures are from Amtrak’s June 2026 Host Railroad Report. Customer On-Time Performance (OTP) measures whether passengers arrive on time at their destination, rather than whether the train reaches every station on schedule.

Amtrak Palmetto Schedule

The information below is from Amtrak.com, but Amtrak’s schedules are subject to change at any time. The last check was on January 8, 2026.

Amtrak Palmetto Schedule Abbreviations

Printable Amtrak Palmetto Schedule

You can use the button below to get a printable schedule or print it from Amtrak.com. Amtrak offers route- and custom-trip-specific schedules; you can learn how to print them here.