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All aboard for a meeting
By HELEN HUNTLEY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times It isn't exactly the bullet train, but Amtrak hopes business travelers will go for its newly upgraded service between Tampa and Miami. Business-class coach service, which began Monday on Amtrak's Silver Palm, promises lots of leg room and outlets for laptop computers, as well as newspapers, videos and music for whiling away the hours. And we do mean hours. The Tampa-Miami ride on the Silver Palm takes a little more than five hours, including stops in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Sebring, Okeechobee, West Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. Amtrak notes that a Tampa resident could travel to Miami in the morning for a business meeting and return that evening. That would have to be an afternoon meeting, and one that doesn't last too long. The train leaves Tampa at 6:51 a.m., arriving in Miami at 12:10 p.m. The return trip leaves Miami at 5 p.m., arriving in Tampa at 10:17 p.m. A Hertz rental car counter is available at the Miami station for those who need wheels when they arrive. A business-class upgrade adds $15 each way to the variable coach fare. A typical round trip costs $100 to $115, including the upgrade. While most airplane flights cost more, round-trip air service is available to people who make online reservations for as little as $116. The plane trip takes about an hour. Initial demand for Amtrak's new business class has been strong, said Amtrak's Florida marketing officer, Richard Weaver, although he declined to provide details. "Business class works well in other states, and it just seemed to be a natural for us," he said. Still, Amtrak faces a huge deficit, and there is speculation the rail carrier may soon propose scrapping a number of routes, including the Silver Palm. -- Helen Huntley can be reached at huntley@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8230.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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