Daily Cardinal

Program Status

Closing Out FRA Corridor ID Step 1 (Scope, Schedule, and Budget), Entering Step 2 (Service Development Plan) soon

Estimated Program Timeline

Step 2 of FRA’s Corridor ID program is expected to be completed in approximately two and a half years

Latest Milestone

Entered into Step 1 of the FRA Corridor ID Program – Scope, Schedule, and Budget

Upcoming Milestones

CID Step 2: Service Development Plan

Funding Sources

FRA Corridor ID Program: $500,000 to enter Step 1

Program Partners

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Buckingham Branch, Union Pacific, Belt Railroad, Metra

Benefits

Restore daily service to 32 communities in 11 states for the first time in 40 years

This project would provide improvements to the existing 1,147-mile Long Distance Cardinal service between New York, NY and Chicago, IL by increasing service frequency from three days per week to daily.

The route has a travel time of approximately 28 hours end-to-end and serves communities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. The service is a lifeline to both the Midwest and Northeast for those living in rural Appalachia, as very limited, if any, public transportation options are available. Similarly, the Cardinal is currently the only rail service that connects cities like Charleston, WV, Indianapolis, IN, or Cincinnati, OH to Chicago and New York.

The daily schedule would make more trips viable by rail along the corridor and connect people to centers of employment, healthcare, education, and entertainment.