What You Need to Know if You are Planning to Ship Your Car by Train

Here is the short answer: in the United States, the only passenger service that ships cars by train is Amtrak’s Auto Train, and it runs a single route between Lorton, Virginia (near Washington, DC) and Sanford, Florida (near Orlando), about 900 miles. You must ride the train with your vehicle, and pricing combines a vehicle fare and a passenger ticket. For any other route in the country, shipping by rail is not a practical consumer option, and a truck-based auto transport carrier does the job door to door.

What if Amtrak is not going through my route?

If your move is anything other than the DC-to-Orlando corridor, you’ll need a licensed auto transport company. Ship A Car, Inc. arranges door-to-door transport on any route in the lower 48, with vetted, insured carriers and pricing built from your actual lane rather than a fixed rail schedule.

A line-up of brand new cars in an automobile factory

What are the Processes of Transporting Automobiles via Train?

  • You drive your car to the Auto Train terminal, where it is loaded into an enclosed autorack car; at the destination terminal you collect it the same way.
  • You travel with the vehicle: the Auto Train is a passenger service, so a passenger ticket is part of every booking.
  • Amtrak is the only company offering this service, on one route with limited vehicle space, so peak dates sell out well in advance.

What are the disadvantages of sending a vehicle via train?

  1. One route only. Unless both ends of your move sit near Lorton, Virginia or Sanford, Florida, you still have to drive to and from the terminals, which erases much of the benefit.
  2. No door-to-door service. A transport carrier picks up at your driveway and delivers to the destination address; the train cannot.
  3. You must travel with the car, on the train’s schedule, and personal items in the vehicle are restricted during transport.

Powerful Diesel Locomotive and Cloudy Sky

How Much Would it Cost Me to Send My Car via Train?

Amtrak prices the Auto Train as two parts: a vehicle fare for a standard-size car plus a passenger fare that varies from basic coach up to private sleeper rooms. Combined, the trip commonly totals somewhere around $500 for one passenger with a standard vehicle, though the figure moves with season, ticket class, and upgrades like priority unloading. Those are Amtrak’s prices to set and change, so treat every number as an estimate and check current fares before planning around them.

Oversized and modified vehicles may pay more or may not fit at all; if your vehicle left the factory at standard dimensions, it ships at the standard vehicle rate.

Transportation of cargoes by rail in containers

What Is The Best Way To Transport My Car?

For the specific DC-to-Florida corridor, the Auto Train is a legitimate option, especially for snowbirds who want to travel with the car. For everything else, truck transport wins on every axis: it serves every address in the country, it is door to door, you do not have to ride along, and open transport pricing is competitive with the train once you count the driving to and from terminals.

Whatever company you choose, look for verifiable FMCSA credentials, binding written quotes, and carrier insurance confirmed before dispatch.

Why you should use SAC Auto Transport to move your car

Ship A Car, Inc. is a licensed, bonded FMCSA broker (USDOT 2303542, MC 784930) with an A+ BBB rating and a decade of nationwide moves. One coordinator manages your shipment from quote to delivery, every carrier is vetted and insured, and no payment is due until your carrier is confirmed.

Door-to-door service means the truck comes to your house: no terminals, no schedules built around someone else’s route, and no adding miles just to reach the departure point.

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Get in Touch With Us Now

You may get an estimate immediately if you provide some basic information, including the pickup and delivery locations, the make and model of the vehicle, and whether you prefer open or covered auto transport. All vehicles that are dispatched to our carriers will be insured during transport and additional insurance is available for purchase.

Price your route in seconds with the auto transport calculator, or speak with the Ship A Car support team now by dialing (866) 821-4555 to get a free quote.