Capitol Limited vs Lake Shore Limited

The Capitol Limited and the Lake Shore Limited are two long-distance Amtrak routes that travel between Chicago and the East Coast. Trains stop at the same stations in Northern Indiana and Ohio, but outside of the Midwest the routes diverge. The Capitol Limited trains travel to and from Washington D.C. via West Virginia while Lake Shore Limited trains travel near the Great Lakes and along the Hudson River.

WiFi and train height are two other major differences. Only the Lake Shore Limited trains have WiFi (Capitol Limited trains do not) and Capitol Limited trains have lower and upper levels. Otherwise, both have roomettes and bedrooms if you prefer privacy, a bed and free meals on your trip.

See the table below to learn more about these two Amtrak routes. Note that the Lake Shore Limited trains merge and separate in Albany, New York. One segment travels to/from New York City and the other to/from Boston.

	Lake Shore Limited	Capitol Limited
Route Length	Around 1,000 miles	764 miles
Frequency	Daily	Daily
Number of Stops	20 (NYC segment) 22 (Boston segment)	14
Type of Train	Viewliner	Superliner
Sleeper Car	Yes	Yes
Sightseer Lounge	No	No
Dining Options	Café and free meals for sleeper car passengers	Café and free meals for sleeper car passengers
WiFi	Yes	No
States on the Route	IL, IN, OH, PA, NY, MA	IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, MD
End-of-the Line Stations	Chicago, New York City, Boston	Chicago and Washington D.C.
Popular Stops	Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Boston, New York City	Chicago, South Bend, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Harpers Ferry, DC
Landscapes	Midwest farmland, Lake Erie, Erie Canal, Hudson River Valley	Midwest farmland, Appalachian Mountains, Potomac River
Top Attractions	-Niagara Falls (via Buffalo) -Finger Lakes (via Rochester) -Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -Boston & New York Sights	-Appalachian Trail (via Cumberland) -Harpers Ferry National Historic Park -Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -DC Museums & Monuments