Cardinal

The eastboundCardinal inPrince, West Virginia
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail Higher-speed rail (Northeast Corridor only)
Locale	Mid-Atlantic,Midwestern andSoutheastern United States
Predecessor	James Whitcomb Riley
First service	October 30, 1977
Current operator	Amtrak
Annual ridership	92,962 (FY 24)  12.4%[a][1]
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois New York
Stops	36
Distance travelled	1,146 miles (1,844 km)
Average journey time	27 hours, 45 minutes[2]
Service frequency	Three round trips per week
Train number	50/51
On-board services
Classes	Coach Class First Class Sleeper Service
Disabled access	All train cars, most stations
Sleeping arrangements	Roomette (2 beds) Bedroom (2 beds) Bedroom Suite (4 beds) Accessible Bedroom (2 beds)
Catering facilities	Café/Dinette (combined car)
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock	Amfleet · Viewliner
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge
Operating speed	41 mph (66 km/h) (avg.) 125 mph (201 km/h) (top)
Track owners	AMTK,BB,CN,CSX,METX,NS,UP
Route map Show interactive map Legend Borealis,Empire Builder,Hiawatha 1147 mi 1846 km Chicago Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, California Zephyr,Southwest Chief Lincoln Service,Texas Eagle Floridian,Lake Shore Limited, Michigan Services City of New Orleans,Illini and Saluki Illinois Indiana 1118 mi 1799 km Dyer 1072 mi 1725 km Rensselaer 1846 km Central Time Eastern Time 1846 km  Gary Central Time Eastern Time Peru Marion Muncie Richmond 1025 mi 1650 km Lafayette 998 mi 1606 km Crawfordsville 951 mi 1530 km Indianapolis 893 mi 1437 km Connersville Indiana Ohio Hamilton (closed) 828 mi 1333 km Cincinnati Ohio River Ohio Kentucky 766 mi 1233 km Maysville 712 mi 1146 km South Portsmouth–South Shore 683 mi 1099 km Ashland Tri-State (closed) Big Sandy River Kentucky West Virginia 668 mi 1075 km Huntington 619 mi 996 km Charleston 592 mi 953 km Montgomery 551 mi 887 km Thurmond 540 mi 869 km Prince 517 mi 832 km Hinton 496 mi 798 km Alderson 472 mi 760 km White Sulphur Springs West Virginia Virginia 437 mi 703 km Clifton Forge 379 mi 610 km Staunton 340 mi 547 km Charlottesville Crescent,Northeast Regional 293 mi 472 km Culpeper 258 mi 415 km Manassas Northeast Regional,Carolinian, Floridian,Palmetto,Silver Meteor 233 mi 375 km Alexandria Potomac River Virginia Washington, D.C. 225 mi 362 km Washington, D.C. Floridian Washington, D.C. Maryland 185 mi 298 km Baltimore Maryland Delaware 116 mi 187 km Wilmington Delaware Pennsylvania 91 mi 146 km Philadelphia Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian Delaware River Pennsylvania New Jersey 58 mi 93 km Trenton 10 mi 16 km Newark Penn Hudson River New Jersey New York Lake Shore Limited,Maple Leaf, Empire Service,Adirondack, Ethan Allen Express, Berkshire Flyer 0mi New York City Acela,Vermonter, Northeast Regional This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

TheCardinal is along-distancepassenger train operated byAmtrak betweenNew York Penn Station andChicago Union Station viaPhiladelphia,Washington, D.C.,Charlottesville,Charleston,Huntington,Cincinnati, andIndianapolis. Along with theFloridian andLake Shore Limited, it is one of three trains linking theNortheast and Chicago. The 1,146-mile (1,844 km) trip between New York and Chicago is scheduled for 281⁄4 hours.^[3]

TheCardinal has three round trips each week, departing New York City on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and departing Chicago on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Prior to being discontinued in 2019, theHoosier State provided service on the portion of theCardinal's route between Indianapolis and Chicago on the other four days of the week.^[3][4]

TheCardinal's ridership was 82,705 in fiscal year 2023, a 3.0% increase from FY2022,^[5] but approximately 25% below its pre-COVID-19 pandemic ridership of about 109,000 in FY2019. In the two fiscal years prior to the pandemic (FY2018 and FY2019), ridership had increased 12.5%.^[6][7][8] In FY2020, the Cardinal earned $7.1 million on expenses of $22.6M—a revenue-to-cost ratio of 31%, the second lowest among all Amtrak routes.^[9]

TheCardinal is the successor of several previous trains, primarily theNew York Central (laterPenn Central)James Whitcomb Riley and theChesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O)George Washington. TheJames Whitcomb Riley was a daytime all-coach train which operated between Chicago and Cincinnati (via Indianapolis). TheGeorge Washington, the C&O's flagship train, was a long-distance sleeper that ran between Cincinnati and—via a split inCharlottesville, Virginia—Washington, D.C. andNewport News, Virginia. Until the late 1950s, theRiley carried theWashington's sleeper cars between Cincinnati and Chicago.^[10] Both routes survived until the formation ofAmtrak in 1971.^{[11]: 51, 93}

Amtrak kept service mostly identical through the spring and summer of 1971.^[12] It slowly began integrating the trains that summer. The two trains began exchanging through Washington—Chicago and Newport News—Chicagocoaches at Cincinnati on July 12, and a throughsleeping car began September 8.^[13] On November 14, theRiley andGeorge Washington merged into a single long-distance Chicago-Washington train, with the eastbound train (train 50) known as theGeorge Washington and the westbound train (train 51) known as theRiley.^[14]: 38 The eastern terminus was briefly extended toBoston, giving theNortheast Corridor a one-seat ride to Chicago. However, it was truncated back to Washington in 1972. On May 19, 1974, Amtrak fully merged theGeorge Washington into theRiley.

During the early Amtrak era, theRiley was plagued by the poor condition of ex-New York Central track in Indiana. In 1973, it was moved to ex-Pennsylvania Railroad track throughIndianapolis.^[14]: 256 By 1974, Amtrak rerouted it off Penn Central track altogether; by then, the trackage had deteriorated so badly that theRiley was limited to 10 mph (16 km/h) for much of its route through Indiana.^[13] The Newport News section ended in 1976, replaced by the Boston–Newport NewsColonial.^[15] A number of long-distance trains running along former Penn Central trackage in the Midwest were plagued by similar problems.

TheJames Whitcomb Riley was renamed theCardinal on October 30, 1977, as thecardinal was thestate bird of all six states through which it ran. However, due to poor track conditions in Indiana, the train was rerouted numerous times, first over various Penn Central/Conrail routings that had once been part of thePennsylvania Railroad, then ultimately over the formerBaltimore and Ohio route via Cottage Grove by 1980.^[16]: 121

TheCardinal was eventually extended to run along the Northeast Corridor again in an effort to improve the Cardinal'scost recovery ratio, but this time with the eastern terminus moved to New York. Previously, theBroadway Limited ran from New York to Chicago along the Northeast Corridor, but only as far south asPhiladelphia. The train was discontinued on September 30, 1981, but revived on January 8, 1982, per a mandate initiated by SenatorRobert C. Byrd. While theCardinal and its predecessors had run daily,^[17] the revivedCardinal ran only three times per week.^[18] The revived train followed another new route, viaRichmond andMuncie, Indiana. This arrangement lasted until April 27, 1986, when the train was finally moved to its current route via Indianapolis.^{[16]: 121 [19]} On October 29, 1995, theCardinal was truncated to Washington, D.C. after the consist was updated withSuperliners. On October 27, 2002, after derailments on other routes depleted available Superliner cars, the Superliners were replaced withViewliners. TheCardinal continued to operate the Chicago-Washington D.C. schedule. Service to New York was restored on Sunday's westboundCardinal on October 26, 2003. Full service to New York resumed on April 26, 2004.

From March 29, 2018, to November 8, 2018, due to continuing construction at New York Penn Station, theCardinal's eastern terminus was temporarily moved to Washington.Cardinal passengers needing to travel to or from points north of Washington were transferred to aNortheast Regional.^[20]

With the Indianapolis routing, theCardinal began operating jointly with the Chicago–IndianapolisHoosier State. TheHoosier State operated to Indianapolis on the days theCardinal did not, assuring seven-day service between Chicago and Indianapolis. This pattern ceased on October 25, 1987, when theHoosier State became a full-fledged daily train once again. TheHoosier State was dropped on September 8, 1995, but resumed again on July 19, 1998, again running on days that theCardinal did not run.

On December 17, 1999, Amtrak extended theHoosier State toJeffersonville, Indiana, (and later toLouisville, Kentucky) and renamed the train theKentucky Cardinal. This new train was a daily service; on days when theCardinal operated, the two trains ran combined between Indianapolis and Chicago. Amtrak ultimately discontinued theKentucky Cardinal on July 4, 2003, and brought back theHoosier State on the pre-1999 schedule.

After Indiana discontinued its subsidy, Amtrak suspended theHoosier State as of June 30, 2019. Passengers who booked trips after that date were compensated withCardinal tickets.

In the July 2010 issue ofTrains magazine, theCardinal was noted as being one of five routes under consideration for performance improvement. For theCardinal, the proposed changes included increasing service from thrice-weekly to daily operation, and changing the western terminus toSt. Louis,Missouri.Railfan and Railroad magazine also suggested that the train be rerouted to St. Louis, with a separate section bound for Chicago.^[21]

In early October 2010, Amtrak released a report detailing plans to increase theCardinal's service from thrice-weekly to daily service, as well as increasing the train's on-time performance and food service.^[22] The January 2011 issue ofTrains later revealed that Amtrak would scrap re-routing and Superliner conversion and instead adopt not only daily service, but also purchasing dome cars to be used along the Chicago-Washington, D.C. portion of the trip. In addition, the routing into Chicago Union Station would be changed and station platforms along the route containing coal dust would be scrubbed and cleaned.^[23]

However, obstacles to a dailyCardinal persist. Track capacity is limited on theBuckingham Branch Railroad, a short line railroad betweenOrange andClifton Forge, Virginia where theCardinal operates along former C&O/CSX trackage, preventing frequent freight trains from passing a dailyCardinal. This problem also applied to the planned-but-failedGreenbrier Presidential Express train, which would also have traversed the Buckingham Branch on a weekly basis. The Buckingham Branch requires additional funding to expand several sidings before allowing additional service.^[24] Another obstacle is freight congestion in Chicago particularly at the 75th Street Corridor on Chicago's South Side.^[25] The third obstacle is capacity at theLong Bridge in Washington, D.C.^[26] Infrastructure improvements are being made at all three. TheOrange Branch between Orange andGordonsville raised train speed after the completion of a track and signal project in 2017.^[27] TheChicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) has received funding under apublic–private partnership (P3) for the 75th Street Corridor with construction beginning in October 2018 and is scheduled to be finished by 2025.^[25][28] A parallel span of the Long Bridge is full funded and moving towards engineering design and financing.^[26]

Starting on October 1, 2019, traditional dining car services were removed and replaced with a reduced menu of "Flexible Dining" options. As a result, the changes to the consist of the train will have the dining car serve as a lounge car for the exclusive use of sleeping car passengers.^[29]

In June 2021, SenatorJon Tester ofMontana added an amendment to the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 which would require theDepartment of Transportation (not Amtrak itself) to evaluate daily service on all less frequent long-distance trains, meaning theCardinal andSunset Limited.^[30] The bill passed theSenate Commerce Committee with bipartisan support,^[31][32] and was later rolled intoPresident Biden'sInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which Congress passed on November  5, 2021.^[33] The report is known as theAmtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study and must be delivered to Congress within two years.^[34] In mid-2023, Amtrak applied for a federal grant to operate theCardinal daily and increase speeds between Indianapolis and Dyer.^[35] In December 2023 the dailyCardinal project was granted $500,000 from the IIJA through theFederal Railroad Administration'sCorridor Identification and Development Program.^[36]

In the early 1990s, theCardinal ran with the usual Amtrak long-distance consist of twoEMD F40PHs or oneGE E60, plus several material handling cars (MHC) and baggage cars, followed by severalAmfleet coaches, an Amfleet lounge, a Heritage diner, two or three Heritage 10-6 sleepers, a slumbercoach, and finally, a baggage dormitory car. Following the delivery of theSuperliner II fleet, however, theCardinal was re-equipped with Superliner cars in 1995.^[37] As a result, its route was truncated to end in Washington D.C., as Superliners cannot operate on the Northeast Corridor due to low tunnel clearances in Baltimore and New York City. With the Superliner equipment, the consist would usually be two Superliner sleeping cars, a diner, aSightseer Lounge, a baggage coach, and a coach.

In 2002, two derailments on other routes took numerous Superliner cars out of service. Because of this, insufficient Superliner equipment was available for use on theCardinal. TheCardinal was re-equipped with a consist of single-level long-distance cars, including dining, lounge, sleeping, and dormitory cars, although service to New York was not restored until 2004. Subsequent fleet shortages shortened theCardinal further, and at one point, the train was running with two or three Amfleet II coaches and a combined diner-lounge car. While the sleeping car was later restored, theCardinal has not had a dormitory car or a diner since. Similarly, though thebaggage car was also removed, it was restored in response to an upturn in patronage in mid-2010. In 2016, Amtrak added business class service to theCardinal.^[38] TheCardinal seasonally included a dome car prior to the car's retirement.^[39][40]

Amtrak began replacing the older P40DC and P42DC locomotives withSiemens ALC-42 locomotives in 2023.^[41]

As of March 2025^[update], theCardinal's typical consist includes:^{[42][citation needed]}

• P42DC or ALC-42 locomotive (1 ACS-64 electric locomotive used north of Washington DC)
• 3 Amfleet II coaches
• Amfleet II café/lounge car
• Viewliner II sleeping car
• Viewliner II baggage/dorm car

TheCardinal is used by Amtrak to ferry equipment between Chicago and Amtrak'sBeech Grove Shops outside Indianapolis for repairs, so other equipment can be added to the train between those two locations.^[43][44]

Amtrak bills theCardinal's route as one of the most scenic in its system. After an early morning departure from New York and traveling south down the Northeast Corridor, the train passes through Virginia's rolling horse country, across theBlue Ridge and theShenandoah Valley. It then climbs theAllegheny Mountains and stops at the resort town of White Sulphur Springs, home toThe Greenbrier, a famous luxury resort. TheCardinal descends on tracks throughNew River Gorge National Park and Preserve, a unit of the National Park Service protecting the longest deepest river gorge in the Eastern U.S. The river is popular for white water rafting, and the cliffs attract rock climbers. The forests blaze with autumn foliage and the train usually sells out during the peak season.

The schedules are timed to allow trains to travel through the New River Gorge in daylight nearly all year. Westbound, the train travels at night from Charleston, West Virginia, on to Indianapolis, where it arrives at about dawn, reaching Chicago mid-morning. Eastbound, theCardinal departs late afternoon, reaching Indianapolis before midnight, Charleston mid-morning, and New York City in the late evening. While Cincinnati is served both directions with stops after midnight, about 15,000 passengers a year arrive or depart from this station.

TheCardinal is one of only two of Amtrak's 15 long-distance trains to operate only three days a week, the other being theSunset Limited.

TheCardinal operates overAmtrak,CSX Transportation,Norfolk Southern Railway,Buckingham Branch Railroad,Canadian National Railway,Union Pacific Railroad, andMetra trackage:

• AmtrakNortheast Corridor, New York toWashington
• CSXRF&P Subdivision, Washington toAlexandria
• NSWashington District, Alexandria to Orange
• BB Orange Subdivision andNorth Mountain Subdivision, Orange toClifton Forge
• CSXAlleghany Subdivision,New River Subdivision,Kanawha Subdivision,Russell Subdivision,Northern Subdivision,Cincinnati Subdivision,Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision,Indianapolis Subdivision,Indianapolis Terminal Subdivision,Crawfordsville Branch Subdivision, andMonon Subdivision, Clifton Forge toMunster
• CNElsdon Subdivision, Munster toThornton
• UPVilla Grove Subdivision, Thornton to 81st Street
• BRCKenton Line Subdivision, 81st Street to 74th Street
• MetraSouthWest Service, 74th Street to Chicago
• NSChicago Line, CP 518 to Chicago (Depending on Dispatcher preference, The Cardinal often runs between CP 518 and 21st Street on NS)

The Buckingham Branch trackage is one of the few Class III railroads used in the Amtrak system.

State/Province	Town/City	Station	Connections
Illinois	Chicago	Chicago Union Station	Amtrak (long-distance):California Zephyr,City of New Orleans,Empire Builder,Floridian,Lake Shore Limited,Southwest Chief,Texas Eagle Amtrak (intercity):Blue Water,Borealis,Hiawatha,Illini andSaluki,Illinois Zephyr andCarl Sandburg,Lincoln Service,Pere Marquette,Wolverine Metra:■ BNSF,■ Milwaukee District North,■ Milwaukee District West,■ North Central Service,■ Heritage Corridor,■ SouthWest Service Chicago "L":Blue(atClinton),BrownOrangePinkPurple(atQuincy) CTA Bus,Pace Bus Amtrak Thruway to Madison, Rockford (Van Galder), Louisville (Greyhound)
Indiana	Dyer	Dyer
	Rensselaer	Rensselaer
	Lafayette	Lafayette	CityBus Greyhound Lines
	Crawfordsville	Crawfordsville
	Indianapolis	Indianapolis	IndyGo Amtrak Thruway (Burlington Trailways) Greyhound Lines
	Connersville	Connersville
Ohio	Cincinnati	Cincinnati	SORTA Metro
Kentucky	Maysville	Maysville	Maysville Transit
	South Shore	South Portsmouth–South Shore
	Ashland	Ashland	Ashland Bus System Greyhound Lines
West Virginia	Huntington	Huntington	Tri-State Transit Authority
	Charleston	Charleston	Amtrak Thruway toSutton/Flatwoods,Weston,Clarksburg,Fairmont,Morgantown (Barons Bus Lines)[45] Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority
	Montgomery	Montgomery	Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority
	Thurmond	Thurmond
	Prince	Prince
	Hinton	Hinton
	Alderson	Alderson
	White Sulphur Springs	White Sulphur Springs
Virginia	Clifton Forge	Clifton Forge
	Staunton	Staunton	Staunton Free Trolley,Coordinated Area Transportation Services(at Staunton Visitor Center)
	Charlottesville	Charlottesville	Amtrak:Crescent,Northeast Regional Amtrak Thruway toRichmond (Academy Bus Lines),Washington, D.C. Greyhound Lines Charlottesville Area Transit
	Culpeper	Culpeper	Amtrak:Crescent,Northeast Regional
	Manassas	Manassas	Amtrak:Crescent,Northeast Regional VRE:■ Manassas Line PRTC: Manassas Metro Direct, OmniLink Manassas
	Alexandria	Alexandria	Amtrak:Crescent,Floridian,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor VRE:■ Fredericksburg Line,■ Manassas Line Metro:Blue Line,Yellow Line Metrobus,DASH
District of Columbia	Washington	Washington Union Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Crescent,Floridian,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter MARC:■ Brunswick Line,■ Camden Line,■ Penn Line VRE:■ Manassas Line,■ Fredericksburg Line Metro:Red Line DC Streetcar:H Street/Benning Road Line Metrobus,MTA Maryland,Loudoun County Transit,OmniRide Intercity bus:Greyhound Lines,Megabus,BestBus,Peter Pan,OurBus
Maryland	Baltimore	Baltimore	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Crescent,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter MARC:■ Penn Line Light RailLink MTA Maryland,Charm City Circulator
Delaware	Wilmington	Wilmington	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Crescent,Palmetto,Northeast Regional,Silver Meteor,Vermonter Greyhound Lines SEPTA Regional Rail:■ Wilmington/​Newark Line DART First State
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	30th Street Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Crescent,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Palmetto,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter SEPTA Regional Rail:all lines NJ Transit:■ Atlantic City Line SEPTA Metro: SEPTA City Bus,SEPTA Suburban Bus
New Jersey	Trenton	Trenton	Amtrak:Carolinian,Crescent,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter NJ Transit:■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ River Line SEPTA Regional Rail:■ Trenton Line NJ Transit Bus,SEPTA Suburban Bus
	Newark	Newark Penn Station	Amtrak:Acela,Carolinian,Crescent,Keystone Service,Northeast Regional,Palmetto,Pennsylvanian,Silver Meteor,Vermonter NJ Transit:■ North Jersey Coast Line,■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ Raritan Valley Line PATH:NWK-WTC Newark Light Rail NJ Transit Bus
New York	New York City	New York Penn Station	Amtrak (long-distance):Crescent,Lake Shore Limited,Palmetto,Silver Meteor Amtrak (intercity):Acela,Adirondack,Berkshire Flyer,Carolinian,Empire Service,Ethan Allen Express,Keystone Service,Maple Leaf,Northeast Regional,Pennsylvanian,Vermonter LIRR:■ City Terminal Zone,■ Port Washington Branch NJ Transit:■ North Jersey Coast Line,■ Northeast Corridor Line,■ Gladstone Branch,■ Montclair–Boonton Line,■ Morristown Line NYC Subway:​​​​ PATH:HOB-33JSQ-33JSQ-33 (via HOB) NYC Transit Bus

• Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas,Trains, June 1991
• Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2001).When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment, Eastern United States. Kirksville, Missouri:Truman State University Press.ISBN 978-0-943549-97-2.
• Solomon, Brian; Schafer, Mike (2007).New York Central Railroad. Saint Paul, MN: MBI andVoyageur Press.ISBN 9780760329283.OCLC 85851554.
• Amtrak October 2010 report on theCardinal

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCardinal (train).

• Cardinal – Amtrak

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• Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia
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