Give your car a break. AutoTrain it!

EXIT 161 I-95n to: Fort Belvoir, Mt Vernon, Virginia


Are you tired of driving? Might you want to give your hardworking automobile some chill time?  Do you feel like turning around and heading south for some Florida sunshine. But you do not want to drive? But you want your car?  What do you do?  How about training your vehicle to the Sunshine State?

The Lorton station is a railroad terminal in Lorton, Virginia. It is the northern terminal for Amtrak's Auto Train which operates between this station and sunny Sanford, Florida.


Although there are similar services around the world, the Auto Train is the only one of its kind in the United States. The Auto Train is the only north–south Amtrak train in the east to use Superliner cars. The train is notable, especially within the Amtrak system, for the high quality of its equipment and of its customer service.


The train operates every day. At 11:30 am, the station gates are opened to allow the passengers for the next trip into the vehicle staging area where vehicles are assigned their number, which is affixed to the driver's door magnetically. The vehicle is then video surveyed to document any pre existing dents and other damage. The passengers leave their vehicles here and take their carry-on bags with them into the station to await boarding. Passengers do have a choice between either coach seats or private sleeping car rooms while their cars, vans, sport utility vehicles or even boats are carried in enclosed automobile-carrying freight cars, called autoracks. The vehicles are themselves staged near the autorack ramps by size and length for optimal loading order, and are then loaded onto the autoracks. In the case of motorcycles, the owner assists with tying their bikes down.


Passengers do not have access to their vehicles during the trip. But with sleeping berths and dining cars, they do not lack for amenities. 

Unfortunately for RoadSpoke fans, since The Auto Train avoids driving Interstate 95 in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and northern Florida you will get no auto tour and will miss out on hearing about Civil War Battles, homespun heroes, sports stars, Scarlett O'hara, and other southern wonders. And you better want to go to Florida and no place in between. The train is non-stop. All Aboard! 


#Autotrain #Superliner #Amtrak #LortonStation #autotracks

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