So this is a mini review of the station and amtrak itself. I LOVED the roomette. As a solo traveler it was amazing and the food was a better quality than airplane food. My attendant was great, funny and really personable. I had one issue with a power hungry little twig that walked behind me and was upset at me for going the wrong way but thankfully I never saw that guy again. This station was cool. It has an old fashion look to it and I really enjoyed it. All together a great time and GREAT experience. Check out my full tour just search MrBucketlist Roomette tour on youtube! read more

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Arguably one of the best union stations that I have ever been inside of. First of all let me say this which if you frequently travel greyhound or Amtrak you know this is an anomaly. The station was sooooo cleaning. It was practically spotless which I loved. I recently came her because I shipped several packages from the other side of the country. The staff was very helpful and it was quiet inside. read more

I will start by saying as a historical structure I loved the details of the inside and outside of this station. As you sit inside on the wooden benches, you feel as though as are transported back to the 30s or the 40s. Historical, I love all the details! As far as the amenities go, considering it is a rather busy train station, it would be nice if there was a little more. Maybe a stand where you could get coffee or something quick to eat would be nice. There are vending machines in one of the waiting areas, but considering everytime I catch train 91 going to South Florida it is consistently 2 hours late, there is only so many potato chips and Fritos one can possibly eat. Additionally, there is nowhere really in the vicinity to catch a quick bite while waiting on delays. Note to self: pack food that will sustain me for 4+ hours when traveling from this station. A plus is that there is free long term parking within the station. That makes it extra useful, so you don't have to burden others with giving you a ride. The staff is friendly and accommodating and you can't beat the deal of a round trip to Fort Lauderdale for 60 or so dollars. I can't really complain because Amtrak overall is easy and is so much better then entertaining yourself for 4 plus hours on a car ride to South Florida. Overall, I like. Update: I wanted to make a note about the long term parking at the station. I left my car at the station in the long term parking area for about a week and everything was all good upon my return. I was reluctant because I didn't know how safe it would be, but it turned out to be great and very convenient. read more

Tampa Union Station - Romance of the rails. Inside Tampa Union Station. - Train Stations Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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My second and last time taking the train. First time the train is over 3 hours late. Today 5 hours! Won't happen again!

Restroom has strong smell of urine. Eerytime I come here, trains are routinely late and staff seem to have no informayion, or only unreliable information read more

Tampa Union Station - Well stocked vending machines - Train Stations Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Tampa union itself is a beautiful train station and it's got great air conditioning and space. It's Employees are very "tired" and "irritated" but they're not too bad. As for Amtrak, Horrendous idea. I thought riding the train would be a fun way to travel differently and quickly and Jesus Christ I was wrong. I took a train from Tampa to West Palm Beach and there was no AC in any of the coach cars. The only AC accessible by coach was in the "cafe car" and they still had half of the car closed off for their employees to gather and sit in the A.C. Rather then suffer like the rest of the passengers. DO NOT TAKE THE TRAIN IF YOU CANT STAND HEAT. read more

The station was built in 1912 and has some nice architectural details; however sitting here for 30 min I have been hit up 3 times by bums for money and once by a daytime hooker who had seen better days. If my train had not been delayed an hour I might have enjoyed the entertainment of the whole experience more and given another star. read more

Tampa Union Station - Train Stations Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Romantic Decor picture below is true. Truly historic. I love Amtrak, Since I was a kid in Florida - I ran away from home on a train from Napes to NC when I was 14. Ha, busted. But Amtrak lets Veterans travel 200$ anywhere. Great. And for the short haul I like using them to Orlando! (from/to Tampa) beat the I-4 Mania. Its all good. The sleepers are tight but beats back breaking hours sitting. From Tampa to Chicago is a blast in Snow season, scenic. I enjoyed the dining car as well: Tampa, San Antonio to the festival. Was great. You will love this can book ticket in increments, get off take photos, eat, stay in hotel,, get up do it again from Tampa to San Diego! I recommend this in iieu of flying especially in peak seasons if you make time. "RIDIN THE RAILS" read more

Traveled by Amtrak from Miami to Tampa. This is something I used to do very often by car or by plane. Wish I had known before about this train service, seats are very comfortable with ample leg room and it takes more or less the same time it would take you to drive but without the stress of driving. Also no airport stress and free baggage service. To me it's very worth it to just be able to sit and relax with a good book and let somebody else do the driving. If you don't mind the stops this is the way to go. Also much much cheaper than flying which is another plus. read more

Took the train from Orlando to Tampa and it cost just $12. Why would anybody drive or take a bus when the train is so much more comfortable and convenient? The seats on the train are large, recline, and come with a leg and footrest. A coach seat on Amtrak is larger than a first class seat on a plane. The train also has a lounge car, dinning car, sleeping cars (for overnight trips) and free checked luggage. Both the Orlando and Tampa stations are historic buildings that have been renovated and are very busy. read more

Amtrak could be so much more than it is. The onboard experience for the price is actually a great value - the crew have a friendly attitude and the orchestra of loading and unloading at each station is done quite well. The Achilles heal unfortunately is the schedule timing. Because so much of the track that Amtrak uses is leased from freight lines, they get bumped from the right of way. With on-time performance overall at 68% and some routes 0% for the year, it makes it difficult to use the train for time sensitive events. But, if you have the flexibility in your schedule, the experience is pleasant and I would argue for our current generation, a very unique one. read more

My wife and I have taken Amtrak in and out of Tampa and Tallahassee several times. As noted by other reviewers, we have a fine station here in Tampa, compared to the tiny one in Tallahassee. Trips north take you to Orlando, then Jacksonville and then parallelling I-95 up through the Carolinas, DC, NYC and points north and west. Regrettably, you cannot go directly from Jax to New Orleans since tracks are still out west of Pensacola. Before that we enjoyed a leisurely trip flying to El Paso, then Amtrak to San Antonio for a few days, then on to New Orleans for a few days, then on to Tallahassee, etc. The coach chairs are very spacious and comfortable for napping....better than the airplane sardine seats. A sleeper compartment offers cramped privacy and all seats offer a fine view. Food in the diner car is at least OK, with other snacks available. You cannot be in a hurry or a tight arrival schedule, but since you can travel comfortably at night and do not have to linger at airports for hours, the time needed is not bad. It is worth at least a nostalgia try. And train stations put you downtown, not isolated in a suburb, and well connected local subway/mass-transit routes, as well as lots of cabs. read more

Beautifully restored historic structure with a gigantic waiting hall. The original long wood bench seats still there, reminiscent of a church. A railroad history exhibit on one side. Separate room with vending machines and brochures rack with some seats. People are herded out to the loading platform long before the train arrives, where the old vintage look continues. Several taxis usually available, and at least two bus routes out front. Greyhound about two blocks away makes for an easy connection. This Old Florida station looks lost in the Fifties, or maybe the Roaring Twenties. Considering the little use it gets, it will likely stay that way. read more

My son and I take the train all the time down to Hollywood. It is a great ride - comfortable and smooth! No hassle or traffic on the road! read more

Just took Amtrak from Miami to Tampa for the first time. The train itself was fine, but there was only one employee that was polite the entire 5 hours of the trip. This one employee was extremely courteous and was very attentive to passengers that needed assistance due to mobility. The rest of the staff were some of the rudest employees I have ever encountered. Was made to feel that I was a complete inconvenience as a customer. The staff at the baggage claim in Tampa "barked" orders at everyone with no customer service skills. This is an affordable method of transport, but will happily pay extra to fly next time as I have never been treated this poorly by any airline. read more

The absolute worst company who couldn't care less about their customers. I take the Amtrak train every weekend and it is delayed every single weekend. The first time the train was delayed, I got a phone call which was supposed to inform me of the delay but instead I heard an employee laughing and joking with other employees and didn't respond until I said hello 3 times. Another time while riding on this train, the toilets were filled to the tippy top with feces so I had to go to another train cart to use the bathroom. Recently, Amtrak is having problems with their wifi but luckily wifi did still work in the cafe cart. The employees are always never to be seen and seem to try and avoid passengers as much as they can during the train ride. Honestly it doesn't matter because when I asked when I would be in Hollywood at 4:00 the employee told me we would be there at 5:00. We were at Deerfield at 5:00 and had at least another 30 minutes before getting to Hollywood. I also forgot to mention that there are no blinds in the cafe cart so if you need to do homework for graduate school be ready to have the sun in your eyes constantly and you cannot go back to your seat if there is only wifi in the cafe cart and nowhere else. I buy my train tickets on Saturdays for 12:37 and it has except for one time been delayed to 2:41. Recently on 11/24 my train was supposed to arrive to Tampa at 12:37 but instead was delayed until 4:40!!!! I am currently in the train now and instead of arriving to Hollywood at 5:38, I will probably be arriving at 10:00 if not later. The reason Amtrak was delayed for apparently was because their train broke down on the tracks and passengers had to wait on a broken down train for 2 hours waiting for someone to fix it. I get it, they're the only train company available so they can do what they want but it is beyond unprofessional in how they conduct their business daily. The other one star reviews are not exaggerating on how bad Amtrak really is. I hope somebody from Amtrak sees this review and really considers how they are treating their passengers. Update: Amtrak employees now assign specific seats to you regardless if they are already taken. I had an employee harass me by making me switch seats three times. Until I started arguing with him, he wouldn't admit that it was his fault for making me switch seats three times. Maybe the Amtrak employees should worry about keeping their passengers safe instead of assigning seats which is obviously too arduous a task for them to handle. read more

4 stars. Would be better except for some of our dining experience. My wife, myself and our granddaughter took the Silver Star out of Tampa to Wilmington, Delaware to spend the Spring break with my wife's family. We had two roomettes both on the way up and back. The train stations on both sides were clean and friendly with two problems. In Wilmington, the rental car companies shut down sometime around 5 pm. The train arrives around 5:15 pm. Go figure. In Tampa, there isn't a parking garage in the area, so take a cab. The train ride was absolutely a great experience. The scenery was great and why we choose to travel by train instead of flying. The food was decent except, for 3 of the 6 meals my granddaughter had, she had to choose something different because they were out of her first choice. Out of French Toast, pancakes and grilled cheese? That's eggs, pancakes mix, cheese and bread. read more

This beautiful building with its green tiled - egg yolk yellow painted interior is a true southern treasure that reminds us that not everyone used to own a car and back in the heyday of when America was a beacon to the world of hope and progress. Unfortunately as the highways and automobile sales have transformed the nation's landscape they appear to have left such once glorious portals to the imagination to collect dust, sag and wilt. And all too often, as in Tampa's case, these structures seem to be surrounded by the grittier hard scrabble neighborhoods of large cities that are pockmarked by projects, destitution, homelessness and crime. All of this is a disgrace and is both a resounding and bitter reminder that American exceptionalism needs a booster shot. I can't give it many more stars either, because I'm including the train travel experience on Amtrak, that originated from this station. It seems as if public transportation, particularly by rail, is destined to abject failure in Florida - you can tell our State government simply does not care and those of us who prefer to travel by public facilities, including rail, are left in the dust as we are disregarded by authority; we travel by public transportation because we are lazy, poor and idle and nothing more - not because we enjoy it, not because it's convenient, not because of our commitment to the environment, it must obviously be our last resort. My trip hopebound began with a two hour delay that was compounded once we passed Palm Beach (where Amtrak and Tri-rail share the same tracks) when a Tri-Rail in front of us struck a car, which naturally led to a fatality. What was supposed to be a 4-hour trip became seven. That is simply unacceptable. Having just quit using the tri-rail system to get to an almost logistically impossible job I know how bad public transportation can be in Florida - in short, you'd probably be treated better and get better service in most third world countries. I find that both shocking and pathetic. read more

absolutely ridiculous. 4 hours late. no compensation. i could have taken a bus and been to my destination in half the time for less than half of the price. never again. read more

The Tampa amtrak station is incredibly inefficient. Our train was an hour late (which is what it is, sometimes trains are late, not a huge deal). Once the train arrived at the station, all passengers were let off through one door (just open up all the doors and let people get off!). Then, all passengers boarded through one door and they assigned us seats. What was the point to that??? Just more needless wait time. After using Amtrak for many years to travel between Boston and NYC and Boston and Philadelphia, I have never experienced anything like this. Our train is finally moving now, an hour and forty minutes past the scheduled departure. read more