What is the Best Way to Ship a Car by Train?
March 5, 2023
Is there a best way to if you want to ship your car by train, Amtrak is your only option. It’s quick and reasonably priced. However, there is a significant disadvantage: Amtrak only goes between two cities (Sanford, Florida, and Lorton, Virginia). You’ll need to get quotes from standard vehicle shipping companies if you want to send your car somewhere else.
We’ll discuss the rates for both your vehicle and passenger ticket for those few consumers traveling between Sanford, Florida, and Lorton, Virginia.
Related Topic: Is Your Car Safe During Auto Transport?
Train car shipping works pretty much as it sounds. You move your automobile from one site to another, but instead of paying a car shipping company to transfer it by truck, you load it onto a train and ride alongside it.
Yes, the passenger ticket is required. You won’t be able to send the car unless you also take the train.
Many auto transport companies claim to provide rail service, but in reality, they do not. There is only one firm that provides the service, and it is Amtrak, a railroad company.
In certain conditions, you can ship a car by train. The only way to send a car by rail is via Amtrak, which has a single route from Washington, DC to Sanford, Florida (or the reverse).
Despite the fact that rail cars transport automobiles, practically all railroad franchises in the United States cater solely to businesses (e.g., car dealerships). The only exception is Amtrak car transportation, which runs daily between two East Coast cities on a single route.
In certain conditions, you can ship a car by train. The only way to send a car by rail is via Amtrak, which has a single route from Washington, DC to Sanford, Florida (or the reverse).
Despite the fact that rail cars transport automobiles, practically all railroad franchises in the United States cater solely to businesses (e.g., car dealerships). The only exception is Amtrak car transportation, which runs daily between two East Coast cities on a single route.
The average total cost of shipping a car from Lorton, Virginia to Sanford, Florida on Amtrak’s auto train is $497. Prices vary depending on the class of your passenger ticket and whether or not you choose priority offloading. The least expensive passenger ticket is $89. Standard-size autos ship for $208, and the least expensive passenger ticket is $89.
For the purposes of Amtrak automobile shipping price, if your car, truck, van, or SUV hasn’t been altered from its original factory length, it counts as a standard-size vehicle.
Train vs Truck: Cost
| Amtrak (least expensive) | Amtrak (most expensive) | Average uShip |
| $297 | $761 | $825 |
What does that mean in terms of a regular auto carrier for the same 855-mile distance?
The average cost of shipping a car along the same path as the Amtrak auto train was $825, according to uShip.
This is $528 more expensive than the lowest train option and $64 more expensive than the most expensive rail option (which includes a comfy bed and priority offloading).
The uShip quote is average, which means you might be able to find cheaper transporters. Even so, you won’t be able to find a vehicle transporter that can beat Amtrak’s low-cost car transportation.
This is $528 more expensive than the lowest train option and $64 more expensive than the most expensive rail option (which includes a comfy bed and priority offloading).
The uShip quote is average, which means you might be able to find cheaper transporters. Even so, you won’t be able to find a vehicle transporter that can beat Amtrak’s low-cost car transportation.
Taking the Amtrak train instead of exporting your car by truck saves you time and money. The nonstop rail route from Lorton, Virginia, to Sanford, Florida, takes 17 hours and 29 minutes, which is nearly a week and a half faster than standard vehicle transportation.
Estimated Delivery Time
| Truck | Train | |
| Estimated total delivery time | <1 Day | 11 Days |
Keep in mind that Amtrak car shipment is only available in two places across the country. You can’t beat the speed—or the price—if you reside near one of Amtrak’s two rail car hubs.
However, if you live somewhere else, you won’t be able to ship your car by rail.
Report: What’s The Cheapest Way and How to Calculate Car Shipping
No. You must purchase a passenger ticket and ride on the same train as your automobile to be shipped on the Amtrak car shipping train.
The cost of a ticket varies depending on how much comfort you desire.
The coach class is the least comfortable, but it still beats driving all day (and some of the night). You also have to pay for gas to travel nearly 1,000 miles if you drive. As a result, taking the train is both more comfortable and less expensive than taking the bus.
If you want to splash out, premium tickets are available. However, if you can take an 18-hour ride in coach class, the lower-cost Amtrak tickets should suffice.
Companies develop instructional items to attract your attention because so many people are looking for information on how to send an automobile by rail or train. Unfortunately, some of them go too far and claim to be able to provide rail service.
There is one condition, however. Do you recall the train firms that only served commercial customers? They can’t fill all of their rail cars all of the time, so they open them up to regular auto carriers.
A regular auto transport business might technically take one of these jobs and use it to deliver your automobile.
In actuality, however, this does not occur. We were unable to locate any rail transit companies.
However, we learned enough to offer a recommendation. We recommend that you seek elsewhere if the auto shipping firm you’re looking into claims to offer rail shipping on its website.
How can you trust a company with your car if they aren’t upfront about the services they provide?
No. You must live near one of Amtrak’s two hubs in Lorton, VA, or Sanford, FL, to use its auto train service. Other railroad companies, such as CSX, Union Pacific, and Sante Fe, offer service primarily to commercial organizations like car dealerships, thus regular customers cannot ship with them by train.
Car shipping by freight truck, on the other hand, is available in most US cities (check with your auto transport company to see if it can service your specific route).
| Amtrak | Autotransporter | |
| # of states | 2 | 50 |
| # of cities | 2 | 15,000+ |
| # of companies | 1 | 2,000+ |
If you want to ship your car by train, Amtrak is your best (and only) option. For roughly $500, a train transport business will transfer your automobile 900 miles in less than one day. Amtrak, on the other hand, only serves two tiny cities: Sanford, Florida, and Lorton, Virginia. Unfortunately, this means that Amtrak is unable to assist the majority of car transport customers.
If you want to transport your automobile anywhere other than the two cities served by Amtrak, you’ll need to contact one of the best car shipping firms. Because of its low costs, years of experience, and great customer evaluations, we recommend Xfinity Moving Auto Transport.
Figure out how to set up your recreational vehicles (RVs) for an interstate move and the various sorts of transport options that are accessible.
When moving to another state, a great many people have the movers get their things and afterward drive to their new state. Yet, consider the possibility that you have more than one vehicle. Imagine a scenario where you have a cruiser, sports vehicle, or RV that you can’t drive during the move. How might you get every one of your vehicles to your new home without making multiple trips?
Luckily, there are a lot of moving companies out there to ship your recreational vehicles from your present home to your new one. This implies you have alternatives, so this is what you have to think about those choices.
Even though you can hire an expert moving company to ship your recreational vehicles for you, there’s some prep work you’ll need to deal with yourself before giving over your vehicles. The first is that you’ll need to purge the gas tank. Moving companies are not permitted to ship anything combustible, and that includes the fuel for your vehicle’s gas tank.
You’ll likewise need to eliminate any valuable resources and disable your alarm framework. Eliminate or secure accessories, for example, windscreens on motorcycles or cruisers, and removable gear and luggage holders or hardware racks on vehicles or RVs.
Also Read: How to Prepare the Night before the Move?
Finally, make a note of the vehicle’s mileage and condition, including scratches for paint, and get the driver to record them on the moving documents. This will assist you with seeing
The primary concern you’ll have to consider while employing a moving company to ship your vehicles is whether you need your vehicle to go in an open transporter or a closed transporter.
Open transporters or carriers will in general comprise two levels made of simply the steel skeleton making up the “floors” for the vehicles to lay on and enough backings to hold everything together and keep it secure. There is no rooftop, no other siding, and nothing to shield the vehicles being shipped from the elements. This isn’t ideal for bikes, classic cars, and luxury vehicles.
Closed carriers or transporters are completely encased trailers that do shield vehicles from the elements during transportation, making them ideal for anything you need to ensure arrivals in mint condition at your new home. Moving your vehicle on a closed transporter will in general be more costly, and you may need to hold up somewhat longer to get your vehicle, depending upon the timetable of the moving.
In case you’re preparing to move and aren’t sure how to manage your recreational vehicles, you can get a free quote from us to move them for you.