Beginning this fall, passengers traveling on select Amtrak routes will have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal.... Beginning this fall, passengers traveling on select Amtrak routes will have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal butler service. The premium service is being made possible by a new partnership between GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, the country's premier, private rail tour operator, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail service.

This is the first time in history that luxury accommodations have been offered on multiple Amtrak routes throughout the country.

Called GrandLuxe Limited, the new service uses a separate, private, seven-car luxury train attached to several regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. The GrandLuxe train, which features Dining, Lounge and Sleeping cars appointed with elegant vintage furnishings, will be occupied exclusively by GrandLuxe Limited passengers.

With over 90 departures starting in November and continuing through the holiday season into January 2008, GrandLuxe Limited will be available on three major Amtrak routes:

Between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, three days and two nights on the Amtrak California Zephyr; Between Los Angeles and Chicago, three days and two nights on the Amtrak Southwest Chief; and Between Washington, D.C. and Miami, two days and one night on the Amtrak Silver Meteor.

Eight additional two-day, one-night departures will be offered on four special itineraries: Between Washington, D.C. and Chicago on the Amtrak Capitol Limited; Denver to the San Francisco Bay Area on the Amtrak California Zephyr; Denver to Chicago on the Amtrak California Zephyr; and Chicago to Albuquerque on the Amtrak Southwest Chief.

The unprecedented collaboration between Amtrak and GrandLuxe is an effort to increase ridership and introduce a new market to luxury train travel. GrandLuxe Limited offers two- and three-day itineraries at more affordable prices than traditional GrandLuxe tours, which cover broader itineraries of seven to 10 days.

The partnership between Amtrak and GrandLuxe is in keeping with Amtrak's strategic initiative to explore ways to expand its business reach and find creative ways to increase revenues through innovative partnerships with the private sector. The arrangement provides revenue for both companies in the partnership.

Prices for GrandLuxe Limited range from $789 to $2,499 per person.