Amtrak Palmetto schedule
Amtrak Palmetto schedule

The Amtrak Palmetto: A New Traveler’s Helper

The Amtrak Palmetto is a daily train that travels 829 miles between New York, NY, and Savanna, GA, with several intermediate stops. To see all of the stops on this train, check out the Amtrak Palmetto Schedule. This single-level train qualifies as a long-distance train because it travels over 750 miles but acts more like a regional train.

The train does not offer sleeping accommodations but does offer coach and business classes. A cafe car serves food and drinks for all passengers.

Palmetto Train 90 Track Work

Effective March 19 – April 26, 2024

Due to track work being performed by CSX, Palmetto Train 90’s schedule will be impacted from March 19 – April 26, as outlined below.

Tuesday – Friday, March 19 – 22 and April 2 – 26; Monday – Thursday, March 25-28
Train 90 will depart Savannah at 4:35 am, 3 hours earlier than usual. It will operate on this earlier schedule from Savannah to Florence.

The train departs Florence at the regularly scheduled time of 10:54 am and operates as usual from Florence to New York.

Amtrak’s Palmetto on-timer performance and host railroads.

Travel delays can occur for various reasons, some of which are Amtrak’s responsibility, while others are not. Amtrak operates on tracks owned by freight railroads, also known as host railroads. These railroads are responsible for dispatching Amtrak and other trains. Although passenger trains are legally supposed to receive priority, they are not always granted it, and that causes delays.

On-time performance

Use these figures as a guide, for they do not reflect the actual times at each station.

  • On-time performance per station stop for the Lake Palmetto
    • From February 2023 to 2024, the average on-time performance was 66%, with a delay of 54 minutes.
    • In February 2024, the average on-time performance was 67.4%, with a delay of 51 minutes.

The host railroad and the top two causes of delays

CSX, 659 miles, is this train’s only host railroad of 15 miles or more, and their main delays were freight and passenger train interference.

The information from this section comes from the February 2024 Amtrak Host Railroad Report.

Accommodations Offerings for the Palmetto

The Amtrak Palmetto is the only long-distance train that does not offer sleeper accommodations because it does not run overnight.

Palmetto coming into CHS
Amtrak’s Palmetto pulling into the new Charleston Station

Coach Class

  • The Palmetto has coach seating, which features:
    • Comfortable reclining seats with ample legroom
    • A fold-down tray
    • Individual reading lights
    • 120v grounded (three-prong) electric outlets.
  • There are luggage racks above the seats.
  • Additionally, there is a shelf at one end of the car.
  • There are also two bathrooms in each car.
  • There are trash receptacles.
  • Access to the cafe car.

Palmetto business class

Business class is in a separate car, behind the cafe car, with assigned seats when you book. If you do not like your seat, you can change it for free any time before departure, based on seat ability.

This car offers the same coach seating and more, such as complimentary non-alcoholic beverages, and passengers get 25% more points.

Palmetto business and coach class cars

While your particular car may differ, this will give you an idea of how your car may look. Amtrak can change equipment at any time.

Layout of an Amtrak regional train coach car
Regional Coach Car Layout

Add-ons

You can add a few things to this trip for a fee.

Bikes

Amtrak wi-fi terms and agreement page
Amtrak Wi-Fi welcome screen

This train has space for standard, full-size bicycles (up to 50 lbs, 70 inches x 41 inches x 8.5 inches). Amtrak stores bikes in designated bike racks in the baggage car. Learn more about bringing your bike on Amtrak before you book.

Pets

Amtrak allows dogs and cats up to 20 pounds (combined weight of pet and carrier) for trips up to seven hours. Before booking a reservation for your small fluffy friend, review Amtrak’s pet policy and print out the documentation needed, which can be found 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 is appropriately documented on your reservation.

Wi-Fi

Amtrak offers free Wi-Fi that supports general web browsing activities. Due to limited bandwidth onboard the trains, our Wi-Fi does not support high-bandwidth actions such as streaming music, streaming video, or downloading large files.

Luggage

You can check bags on this train; up to two bags up to 50 lbs. and 75 linear inches are allowed per person for free. Charges apply for additional and oversized luggage. 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, 25 lbs. (12 kg) and 14 x 11 x 7 inches, and 
  • Two carry-on pieces of luggage, 50 lbs. (23 kg) and 28 x 22 x 14 inches each
  • If you transfer to the Pacific Surfliner at some point along your journey, the baggage size for that train is up to 28 x 22 x 11 inches each. 

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

Food on the Palmetto

One of my favorite things to do while riding an Amtrak train is to visit the cafe car.

Food from an Amtrak Cafe Car
Amtrak cafe attendants use cardboard trays to make transporting your food more accessible.
  • When you visit, you can purchase:
    • A variety of hot and cold meals
    • Snacks
    • Hot, cold, and adult beverages
    • The cafe is available for all passengers throughout your journey.
      • It closes for the attendants’ breaks and during the Washington, D.C. station stop because the train swaps engines, causing a temporary power loss.

You may bring food and drink on the train, but remember, while you can transport alcohol on the train, you cannot partake from your stash onboard.

Due to FDA regulations, personal food cannot be consumed in the cafe car.

This train does not offer a dining car because it does not have sleeper accommodations.

Amtrak Palmetto Schedule

Train 89
Southbound
Communities ServedMilesTrain 90
Northbound
Read DownThis train runs daily. Last Stop
6:02aNew York, NY
Moynihan Train Hall (NYP)
011:23p
6:19aNewark, NJ – Penn Station (NWK)1011:03p
6:33aMetropark, NJ (MET)2410:48p
6:56aTrenton, NJ (TRE)5810:26p
7:30aPhiladelphia, PA
William H. Gray III 30th St. Station (PHL)
919:55p
7:51aWilmington, DE (WIL)1169:29p
8:40aBaltimore, MD – Penn Station (BAL)1858:42p
8:53aBaltimore, MD –
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
1968:24p
New Carrollton, MD (NCR)2178:08p
9:22a | 9:59aWashington, DC – Union Station (WAS)2257:10p | 7:57p
10:18aAlexandria, VA (ALX)2336:34p
12:19pRichmond, VA
Staples Mill Road Station (RVR)
3344:41p
12:54pPetersburg, VA (PTB)3623:44p
2:32pRocky Mount, NC (RMT)460 2:13p
2:52pWilson, NC (WLN)4761:43p
3:22pSelma-Smithfield, NC (SSM)5021:11p
4:16pFayetteville, NC (FAY)55012:22p
5:09pDillon, SC (DIL)60311:29a
5:57pFlorence, SC (FLO)63310:54a
6:33pKingstree, SC (KTR)67210:10a
7:37pCharleston, SC (CHS)7289:15a
8:26pYemassee, SC (YEM)7828:23a
9:25pSavannah, GA (SAV)8297:35a
Last StopStationsMilesRead Up
This schedule is a guide; check with Amtrak for current times. ‘

Amtrak Palmetto Schedule Abbreviations

– No Stop

R = Receive passengers only; this means you can board the train, but you cannot buy a ticket on this train to this station.

D = Depart only; you can buy a ticket to this station but not from this station. The train may leave early from this stop.

Printable Amtrak Palmetto Schedule

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

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Kevin Monteith

Kev Monteith has been traveling on Amtrak since 2012. With over a decade of experience, he has been on over 800 trains, covering over 200k miles of rail. Kev enjoys helping others achieve their travel dreams by providing support and information. Outside of travel, Kev enjoys making music as an organist and outings with family.

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