Shipping a car by rail

Shipping a car by rail, as a passenger, means Amtrak's Auto Train. It runs between Lorton, Virginia, near Washington, and Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. You ride the train. The car rides in an auto carrier on the same train. The fact that decides whether this page is even relevant is the map. If your trip is not that pair of stations, a railroad will not take the car as a personal Auto Train booking. You are back to a highway carrier or to driving.

Manufacturer and dealer freight, in autorack cars, is a wholesale railroad move. It is not a ticket office product. Do not expect to book it the way you book a seat. If a highway company says your car will move by freight rail for part of the trip, get that handoff in the contract, including who has the car at each end. A spoken "it goes by train" is not a route.

What rail costs compared with a truck on a similar corridor#

Amtrak publishes the fare. RideShipper does not. Nothing on this page is an Auto Train price, and an estimate shortcode is the wrong tool for the train. The highway alternative, open transport from the Washington area to the Orlando area, is currently $609–$928 as of November 9, 2026, model v1 RideShipper estimate, updated 2026-11-09, based on 3,588 prices that customers reported paying in MoveAdvisor reviews, adjusted for U.S. diesel at $6.13 a gallon for that week (U.S. Energy Information Administration). In testing, the typical difference between an estimate and a reported price was about 20% of the estimate. This is an estimate, not a quote: the carrier sets the price. No pickup date was supplied, so this estimate uses November 2026. There is no seasonal direction adjustment for this route and month. for a sedan and $645–$983 as of November 9, 2026, model v1 RideShipper estimate, updated 2026-11-09, based on 3,588 prices that customers reported paying in MoveAdvisor reviews, adjusted for U.S. diesel at $6.13 a gallon for that week (U.S. Energy Information Administration). In testing, the typical difference between an estimate and a reported price was about 20% of the estimate. This is an estimate, not a quote: the carrier sets the price. No pickup date was supplied, so this estimate uses November 2026. There is no seasonal direction adjustment for this route and month. for an SUV. A longer open haul that rail does not offer, Dallas to Orlando, is $679–$1,035 as of November 9, 2026, model v1 RideShipper estimate, updated 2026-11-09, based on 3,588 prices that customers reported paying in MoveAdvisor reviews, adjusted for U.S. diesel at $6.13 a gallon for that week (U.S. Energy Information Administration). In testing, the typical difference between an estimate and a reported price was about 20% of the estimate. This is an estimate, not a quote: the carrier sets the price. No pickup date was supplied, so this estimate uses November 2026. There is no seasonal direction adjustment for this route and month..

Those truck ranges are not discounts off a train ticket. They are a different service: the car goes, you do not have to, and the clock is a pickup window rather than a 2:30 p.m. check-in. Use ship versus drive if the third option is driving I-95 yourself. Read how long a truck takes before you assume the train is the only way to avoid two days at the wheel.

How the Auto Train handoff works#

Amtrak's requirements page, opened 10 November 2026, is the rule sheet. In short:

1. Reserve the vehicle when you book the seats. Check-in on departure day starts at 11:30 a.m.
2. Be there on time. Standard and extended vehicles must check in by 2:30 p.m. Oversized vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, and priority offloading must check in by 2:00 p.m. Amtrak says exceptions cannot be made.
3. Fit the published size. A standard vehicle may be up to 192 inches long including racks, 85 inches high, and 84 inches wide including mirrors, with ground clearance of at least 4 inches. An extended vehicle may be up to 216 inches long. Over 18 feet needs a special arrangement, a second space, and a call to Amtrak. Wider than 84 inches, mirrors included, does not fit unless you remove a mirror yourself.
4. Leave prohibited vehicles at home. Dual-wheel, gull-wing, and scissor-door vehicles are not accepted. Can-Am motorcycles, Rewaco trikes, and Polaris Slingshots are not permitted. Factory roof racks may stay if they are empty. Temporary roof racks may not. You cannot reach the car during the trip, and there is no checked-baggage service, so a carry-on for the overnight has to come aboard with you.
5. Turn the alarm off. Amtrak warns that an alarm that sounds en route can kill the battery.
6. If the car is damaged, report it to an authorized Amtrak representative before you leave the terminal. The representative must determine that the damage happened while Amtrak had the car. Personal effects in the vehicle are solely your responsibility.

Have the car running and able to be driven on, within those dimensions, with at least the ground clearance listed. Do not pack valuables in the trunk. The guide on what may stay in a shipped car is written for trucks, and the train rule is stricter about access: you will not open the car until Sanford or Lorton.

What to ask, and the mistakes#

Ask Amtrak, not a highway broker, about a vehicle that is close to a limit. A lifted truck or a hitch can fail the length or the clearance. Ask about priority offloading if being among the first cars off matters. Amtrak says that option is subject to availability.

The mistake is paying a truck broker who promises "rail rates" on a route the Auto Train does not run. Check any highway company on SAFER if you switch to a trailer. The Better Business Bureau's 21 July 2023 alert still applies to vehicle-transport deposits. It does not apply to an Amtrak ticket you buy from Amtrak. Another mistake is missing check-in. The page says exceptions cannot be made. Traffic around Washington or Orlando is your problem to leave time for.

Limits#

The Auto Train will not go to Texas, California, or a driveway. It will not take a vehicle outside the size rules, and the staff will not remove your mirrors for you. Freight rail is not a consumer booking desk. RideShipper will not sell you the train ticket, lock an Amtrak fare, or insure the car aboard the train. For a highway move, RideShipper only requests quotes. It does not haul the car, set the truck price, take a deposit, or insure the vehicle. World Media Group LLC operates RideShipper. Companies that receive a highway quote request may pay RideShipper.

If the corridor is not Lorton to Sanford, start with long-distance truck shipping. Bring the train into the decision only when both ends are those stations and everyone who is traveling can ride along.