Last week, I took my first Amtrak trip in years -- a round trip in business class on the Palmetto between Selma-Smithfield, NC and Savannah, GA. It was a really enjoyable experience.
I live in Raleigh, NC, and needed to go to Savannah for work/long weekend. Because I didn't want to get to Savannah at 4:30 am, I decided not to take the Silver Star from Raleigh and instead opted for the daytime Palmetto train. That required driving 30 minutes to Selma-Smithfield and boarding there.
The Selma station was very user-friendly. It was a small, beautifully restored facility with ample free long-term parking and a very helpful station attendant. Heading south, the Palmetto arrived about 10 minutes late. All passengers boarded and exited through the door at the rear of the Cafe car. My ticket was for a business class seat, and I found that section to be just about full. (In fact, the entire train was quite full.) The seats were comfortable and the service was fine - plenty of newspapers and beverages. The only negative was that the car was definitely worn down around the edges. The trip was very comfortable and uneventful and by the time we reached Charleston I was the only passenger left in business class. The train arrived in Savannah on time.
The trip back a few days later also was quite pleasant. Boarding in Savannah was easy and I was the only person in business class until the train reached Florence. Again, the service was fine, and by the time the train reached Fayetteville it was packed. Unfortunately, the train got delayed in Fayetteville due, it seems, to the large number of folks who were boarding. The train eventually made it to Selma-Smithfield about 15 minutes late.
This was the first time I had taken Amtrak since moving to Raleigh from the Northeast, and I would definitely take the Palmetto (business class) on future trips to Savannah. It was much cheaper than flying and much more relaxing than driving. I was very pleased.
I live in Raleigh, NC, and needed to go to Savannah for work/long weekend. Because I didn't want to get to Savannah at 4:30 am, I decided not to take the Silver Star from Raleigh and instead opted for the daytime Palmetto train. That required driving 30 minutes to Selma-Smithfield and boarding there.
The Selma station was very user-friendly. It was a small, beautifully restored facility with ample free long-term parking and a very helpful station attendant. Heading south, the Palmetto arrived about 10 minutes late. All passengers boarded and exited through the door at the rear of the Cafe car. My ticket was for a business class seat, and I found that section to be just about full. (In fact, the entire train was quite full.) The seats were comfortable and the service was fine - plenty of newspapers and beverages. The only negative was that the car was definitely worn down around the edges. The trip was very comfortable and uneventful and by the time we reached Charleston I was the only passenger left in business class. The train arrived in Savannah on time.
The trip back a few days later also was quite pleasant. Boarding in Savannah was easy and I was the only person in business class until the train reached Florence. Again, the service was fine, and by the time the train reached Fayetteville it was packed. Unfortunately, the train got delayed in Fayetteville due, it seems, to the large number of folks who were boarding. The train eventually made it to Selma-Smithfield about 15 minutes late.
This was the first time I had taken Amtrak since moving to Raleigh from the Northeast, and I would definitely take the Palmetto (business class) on future trips to Savannah. It was much cheaper than flying and much more relaxing than driving. I was very pleased.
