A long-distance Amtrak train in Index, Washington. Ian Dewar Photography/Shutterstock
Amtrak, the only national passenger rail service in the United States, is setting record ridership numbers and is making tracks into more parts of the country, adding new routes that might soon rank among the USA’s best train trips. Train travel in the US doesn’t have the network density of Europe or the bullet trains of Asia – here’s everything you need to know before taking a train trip in the United States – but it’s a unique experience all its own. Several new Amtrak lines have opened in the last few years, with more to come, as well as new high-speed and long-distance train cars coming online soon. These openings and improvements mean that there’s never been a more exciting time to be a train nerd in the US.
Amtrak Mardi Gras Service
New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama
The long-distance Sunset Limited route once traveled cross-country between Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida, but after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the section between New Orleans and Florida was closed forever, it seemed. Now, the reopening of a small route between New Orleans and Mobile is a major victory that’s been two decades in the making. The new Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is set to start running its twice-daily services along the Mississippi Gulf Coast this August, taking just under four hours from end to end. Train tickets are on sale now and start at $15 one way.
Why the name? New Orleans is well known for its boisterous Mardi Gras festivities, but Mobile’s Mardi Gras predates it and is the oldest Carnival celebration in the US, starting in 1703. The Mobile Carnival Museum lets you dig into the history and see floats year-round.
Planning tip: The schedule of the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service is timed for same-day connections with City of New Orleans trains to Chicago (via Memphis) and next-day connections to the Crescent (with daily departures to New York City via Atlanta) and the Sunset Limited to LA, with departures three times per week.
Borealis
Chicago to Minneapolis/St Paul
Launched in May 2024, Amtrak’s Borealis isn’t technically a new route – it follows the same tracks as the long-distance Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle and Portland via Glacier National Park and the Hiawatha between the Windy City and Milwaukee – but it is a new line that’s doubled the number of trains that stop in major cities around the Great Lakes. From end to end, the Borealis takes about 7.5 hours, but Milwaukee is a popular intermediate stop, particularly as a day trip from Chicago, for its breweries, beaches (yes, really!) and museums. Even though the Borealis service has existed for just 18 months, ridership on the route is up 227%. Adult fares start at $41.
Planning tip: Time your visit to Milwaukee for a Friday when many restaurants put on a German-style fish fry.
Floridian
Chicago to Miami
Turning a year old this November, the Floridian combined two existing routes into one: the Capitol Limited between Chicago and Washington, DC, and the Silver Star between New York City and Miami. However, the Floridian is just a temporary service (the Capitol Limited and Silver Star are currently suspended), running while the 1910 East River Tunnel in New York City is being rehabilitated. That project is expected to wrap up in 2027. The daily service covers 46 wildly diverse stops in 47 hours, including the nation’s capital in DC, cultural Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and sultry Savannah, Georgia.
Planning tip: Chicago is the hub for train services in the US, and many medium- and long-distance routes terminate here. If you’re traveling using Amtrak’s USA Rail Pass, which allows you to take 10 train journeys in 30 days for a set price, the Windy City is a good spot to start or end your journey for the widest variety of train routes.
What’s next for Amtrak and train travel in the US?
Train travel is more in demand in the USA than it has been in generations, and Amtrak hopes to double ridership to 66 million by 2040. In addition to new routes, the railway stations, underlying infrastructure and train cars themselves are getting updates, too. Private railway lines are helping fill in the gaps and offering bucket-list-worthy super scenic routes.
NextGen Acela trains
The long-awaited (and long-delayed) new train cars for North America’s only high-speed train line, Acela, which runs between Boston and DC, are set to be introduced later this year, though a specific date has yet to be announced. Testing on the new train cars started in 2020, and travelers along the Northeast Corridor are eagerly awaiting the official announcement.
Amtrak Airo
Amtrak’s medium-distance services across the country, such as the Downeaster, Amtrak Cascades and Maple Leaf, are also set to see new Amtrak Airo train cars in 2026. In addition to panoramic windows and improved accessibility for wheelchair users, the trains will also be able to operate at up to 125mph and won’t need to change engines, reducing layover time.
New train cars for long-distance Amtrak lines
In 2023, Amtrak announced that it was soliciting ideas for new train cars to replace the aging long-distance fleet, which has been in place for 40 years. This major upgrade is still in the procurement phase, with train cars anticipated to enter service in the 2030s.
Rocky Mountaineer set to expand to Salt Lake City
Rocky Mountaineer, the luxury private train line that runs the scenic Rockies to the Red Rocks service between Moab, Utah, and Denver, is rebranding as Canyon Spirit and extending its train route to Salt Lake City in 2026. This incredible trip was already one of the best ways to see the American West by train, and this extension guarantees another wallop of gorgeous scenery.
Brightline heads west
Brightline, a private train line between Miami and Orlando that opened in stages starting from 2018, has started construction on a high-speed route between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, California, which has regional rail services to LA. The 218-mile route has been dubbed “the first true high-speed passenger rail system” in the USA (Acela in the Northeast can reach high speeds for only about 40 miles of its journey). Brightline West’s trains are set to run at 200mph, mostly along the median of Interstate 15, which means that the rail journey will take half the time of driving. The route is expected to open in 2028.