As early as 1974, Florida considered funding a Miami–Orlando service using
Turboliners, with expansion statewide possible. Amtrak ultimately introduced the first
Silver Palm as a single round trip service between
Miami and
Tampa, Florida, on November 21, 1982. The train was subsidized by the
Florida Department of Transportation as a 403(b) service. The train operated over the tracks of the
Seaboard System Railroad between Miami and Tampa via
Auburndale. The northbound train departed Miami in the morning and returned from Tampa in the afternoon. Travel time was approximately five hours in each direction. A bus connection was provided between and . It followed the traditional SAL mainline through Wildwood and Ocala in north-central Florida. The
Silver Palm was the first intrastate train to use the then-new
Amfleet II coaches. The initial consist was two coaches and a cafe car. During its service, train crew were required to manually throw
switches for the train to operate between divisions. Amtrak had worked to remove speed restrictions on the line and considered adding more stops in an effort to improve service and increase the train's profitability. The state also tried to help boost ridership following a publicity tour by then
Lieutenant Governor Wayne Mixson in August 1984, in part to build a base of riders for proposed
high-speed service in the state. After a two-year trial the Florida Department of Transportation recommended ending subsidies for the
Silver Palm. State law required that state-sponsored services maintain a farebox ratio of 60% to continue funding. FDOT announced on October 20, 1984, that the
Silver Palm's ratio was 45.3%. The service was scheduled to be discontinued on November 20, 1984. The Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers sued the state, arguing that the Department of Transportation had calculated the operating ratio incorrectly, and won at the district court level. This decision was overturned on appeal by the
Florida First District Court of Appeal on March 28, 1985. The
Silver Palm was discontinued on April 30, 1985. It was estimated to have cost $4 million over the course of its run.
Revived name The second
Silver Palm was a long-distance passenger train between
New York, New York, and Miami, Florida. This was a revival of the
Palmetto, which Amtrak had discontinued on April 1, 1995. Service began on November 10, 1996. For a period in the mid-1990s, as in the 1996-1997 season, it was Amtrak's only train passing through Ocala area north-central Florida section in 1996. Amtrak restored the
Palmetto name on May 1, 2002, after the train lost sleeping and dining car service.
Proposed restoration Currently, only the
Silver Star provides daily Amtrak service between Miami and Tampa. A proposal called Amtrak Connects US outlines 15-year expansion plans for state-supported
intercity rail corridors, with one of the routes being between Miami and Tampa. It would follow the same route as the
Silver Palm, with stops at all the same stations as well as an additional stop at the
Okeechobee station. == See also ==