The Palmetto was the first train in the Southern United States to receive the then-new Amfleet equipment, and the 828-mile (1,333 km) run was the longest at the time for the new coaches.

[6] At the time of introduction, Amtrak planned to run the Palmetto daily for the summer only, with service ending September 8.

[8] In October 1984, Amtrak began operating the Carolinian, a North Carolina-focused regional train, as a section of the Palmetto.

The Carolinian was discontinued in September 1985, after the state of North Carolina refused to increase its support for the train,[9][10][11] and then revived in 1990.

[12] Beginning on May 12, 1990, the Palmetto combined with a revived Carolinian, although this time the split occurred in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

[13][14] In October 1994 the Palmetto became a full overnight with sleeper and dining car service, running through to Tampa, Florida.

Amtrak restored the Palmetto name on May 1, 2002, after it removed the sleepers and dining car from the train, although it continued serving Florida.

On November 1, 2004, Amtrak truncated the Palmetto to Savannah, Georgia, operating a daytime schedule to and from New York (as it had prior to 1994).

[18] In October 2015, in an effort to reduce redundant trains, Amtrak temporarily cancelled one daily Northeast Regional round trip and allowed the Palmetto to take local passengers north of Washington.

[19] On April 3, 2016, the southbound Palmetto struck a backhoe while travelling through Chester, Pennsylvania, killing two track workers and derailing the locomotive, as well as damaging the first two cars of the train.

Between Savannah and Washington, trains are pulled by a GE Genesis or Siemens Charger diesel locomotive at speeds up to 110 mph (177 km/h).

[23] The arrangement will offer a near seamless transition between power sources at Washington, a process that currently requires a time-consuming locomotive change.

All classes of service have an electric outlet (120 V, 60 Hz AC) at each seat, reading lamps, fold-out tray tables.