Passengers start boarding at 2:30 PM and both the Lorton and Sanford stations have high platforms for ease of wheelchair boarding. It has a ticket counter, restrooms, gift shop, and café, all accessible. The Sanford station has curved glass walls and seating for 600 passengers. Outside are benches and an enclosed children’s play area. The station is home to a gift shop, a coffee shop, restrooms accessible for people with disabilities, an ATM, and WiFi. Walls of glass make the place bright and airy for the 450 waiting passengers that can fit inside. The Lorton station is a pleasant place to wait for your unusual ride. Once your car’s checked in, you can’t access it until your destination.
An attendant places plastic sheets in the driver’s footwell and on the driver’s seat to prevent dirt and it’s driven to an Autorack railroad car. A magnetic number plate is attached to the driver-side door of your vehicle and it is video graphed against damage claims. Passengers and their vehicles must arrive at the station between 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM to check in. Unlike other Amtrak routes where no animals are allowed on any route that’s longer than seven hours, service animals are allowed on the Auto Train. Sleeper car passengers get to enjoy dinner in the dining car which includes a complimentary glass of wine or bottle of beer. A complimentary continental breakfast is provided. The Auto Train’s café car is available to buy food and beverages. Note that Amtrak has frequent sales and promotions if you want to snag a deal on your future Auto Train journey. For an additional amount, you can book sleeping accommodations instead of spending the night on a reclining seat.
How much does it cost to ride the Auto Train and what’s included?Īt the time of writing, the fare is $89 per passenger and $269 per car. But for the few hours of daylight you’re on board, make sure to look out the window you’ll see a variety of landscapes, animals, cityscapes, Colonial towns, urban areas, country estates, farms, industrial plants, broad rivers, and swampland.
Unlike many long-haul Amtrak trains, there’s no observation car because most of the scheduled 17-hour trip is done at night. And, you won’t have to dine or breakfast on gas station food - the café provides you with sustenance while the train keeps putting on the miles. Inside, it’s much more comfortable than your vehicle you can choose to sleep in Coach class on a reclining seat or in a bed in one of the sleepers. The Auto Train measures more than three quarters of a mile, making it the longest passenger train in the world! When fully booked, the Auto Train holds 650 passengers and 330 vehicles in 18 passenger cars and 33 auto rack cars. Otherwise, once the train leaves the station, no other passengers or vehicles board or depart the train. And there’s only one scheduled stop: a short 15 minutes just south of Florence, South Carolina, for a crew change and refueling. It leaves Lorton at 5 PM and arrives in Sanford by 10 AM and vice versa.
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