Cardinal
Chicago Union Station to New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station. Eastbound train 50 and westbound train 51, 3 days a week. The table below lists the named stretches in eastbound order with the direction and season each is in daylight.
Duration
27 h 33 m
Eastbound end to end, scheduled
Frequency
3 days a week
Trains
50 eastbound, 51 westbound
32 stations
What you see, in order
Eastbound order. Times are the published timetable at the midpoint of each stretch, in Central time unless the station is in another zone. "Dark" means the scheduled time is after sunset or before sunrise in that month; "dawn" and "dusk" are within 30 minutes of them.
| Stretch | Eastbound 50 | Westbound 51 | Stations around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio RiverThe Ohio is crossed at Covington outside Cincinnati; the line then follows the river past Maysville, South Shore, and Ashland to Huntington.Watch for Ohio River | Early morning, 5:28 a.m.dark | Night, 12:21 a.m.dark | Cincinnati Union Terminal, Maysville, South Portsmouth, Ashland, Huntington |
| New River GorgeFrom Gauley Bridge, where the New and Gauley rivers join to form the Kanawha, the line runs up the New River Gorge below the Hawks Nest overlook, past Thurmond, the Prince station, and the New River Gorge Bridge 876 feet above the river, to Sandstone Falls near Hinton. Much of this country is visible only by rail or raft.Watch for Hawks Nest, New River Gorge Bridge, Thurmond, Sandstone Falls | Morning, 9:56 a.m.daylight | Evening, 7:38 p.m.daylight May to Aug; dusk Sep; dark Oct to Feb; dusk Mar to Apr | Montgomery, Thurmond, Prince, Hinton |
| Greenbrier River and the Allegheny TunnelBeyond Hinton the Great Bend Tunnel of the John Henry story, then the Greenbrier River at Alderson and White Sulphur Springs, and the Allegheny Tunnel under the crest of the mountains, which marks the West Virginia and Virginia line and the Eastern Continental Divide.Watch for Greenbrier River, Allegheny Tunnel | Midday, 11:59 a.m.daylight | Evening, 5:49 p.m.daylight Mar to Oct; dark Nov to Dec; dusk Jan to Feb | Hinton, Alderson, White Sulphur Springs, Clifton Forge |
| Shenandoah Valley and the Blue RidgeFrom Staunton in the Shenandoah Valley over the Blue Ridge to Charlottesville; Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive are nearby.Watch for Blue Ridge Mountains | Afternoon, 3:01 p.m.daylight | Afternoon, 3:03 p.m.daylight | Staunton, Charlottesville |
| Potomac River and the monumentsCrossing the Potomac, the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery are on the Virginia side; the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin, the Washington Monument, and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing are in view before the tunnel under the Capitol into Union Station.Watch for Potomac River, Pentagon, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument | Evening, 6:35 p.m.daylight Mar to Sep; dusk Oct; dark Nov to Feb | Midday, 11:49 a.m.daylight | Alexandria, Washington Union Station |
| Susquehanna RiverThe longest river on the East Coast, crossed between Baltimore and Wilmington, supplies half the fresh water flowing into Chesapeake Bay.Watch for Susquehanna River | Night, 8:05 p.m.dusk Apr to Aug; dark Sep to Mar | Morning, 9:07 a.m.daylight | Baltimore Penn Station, Wilmington |
Computed from the Amtrak GTFS timetable (feed version 20261015, valid 2026-10-16 to 2026-10-22, fetched 2026-10-15) and sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month at the midpoint of each stretch. Scheduled times only; a late train moves evening stretches into darkness.How this table is computed.
Stations, in eastbound order
| Station | Arrives | Departs | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Union Station | 5:55 p.m. | Central time | |
| Dyer | 6:54 p.m. | 6:54 p.m. | Central time |
| Rensselaer | 7:45 p.m. | 7:45 p.m. | Central time |
| Lafayette | 9:56 p.m. | 9:56 p.m. | Eastern time |
| Crawfordsville | 10:30 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | Eastern time |
| Indianapolis | 11:49 p.m. | 12:15 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Connersville | 1:31 a.m. +1d | 1:31 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Cincinnati Union Terminal | 3:27 a.m. +1d | 3:37 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Maysville | 5:02 a.m. +1d | 5:02 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| South Portsmouth | 5:55 a.m. +1d | 5:55 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Ashland | 6:45 a.m. +1d | 6:45 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Huntington | 7:19 a.m. +1d | 7:26 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Charleston | 8:31 a.m. +1d | 8:31 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Montgomery | 9:02 a.m. +1d | 9:02 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Thurmond | 9:56 a.m. +1d | 9:56 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Prince | 10:18 a.m. +1d | 10:18 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Hinton | 10:50 a.m. +1d | 10:50 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Alderson | 11:18 a.m. +1d | 11:18 a.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| White Sulphur Springs | 12:01 p.m. +1d | 12:01 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Clifton Forge | 1:09 p.m. +1d | 1:09 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Staunton | 2:28 p.m. +1d | 2:28 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Charlottesville | 3:35 p.m. +1d | 3:44 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Culpeper | 5:00 p.m. +1d | 5:00 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Manassas | 5:35 p.m. +1d | 5:35 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Alexandria | 6:27 p.m. +1d | 6:27 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Washington Union Station | 6:44 p.m. +1d | 7:09 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Baltimore Penn Station | 7:41 p.m. +1d | 7:41 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Wilmington | 8:30 p.m. +1d | 8:30 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Philadelphia | 8:56 p.m. +1d | 9:01 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Trenton | 9:32 p.m. +1d | 9:32 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| Newark | 10:08 p.m. +1d | 10:08 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
| New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | 10:28 p.m. +1d | Eastern time |
Local time at each station; "+1d" is the day after departure from Chicago Union Station.
Connects with
| Route | Shared stations | Side by side |
|---|---|---|
| Acela | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Philadelphia, Wilmington and 2 more | Cardinal or Acela |
| Adirondack | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Cardinal or Adirondack |
| Blue Water | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Blue Water |
| Borealis | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Borealis |
| California Zephyr | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or California Zephyr |
| Carl Sandburg | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Carl Sandburg |
| Carolinian | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 4 more | Cardinal or Carolinian |
| City of New Orleans | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or City of New Orleans |
| Crescent | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 7 more | Cardinal or Crescent |
| Empire Builder | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Empire Builder |
| Empire Service | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Cardinal or Empire Service |
| Ethan Allen Express | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Cardinal or Ethan Allen Express |
| Floridian | Washington Union Station, Alexandria, Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Floridian |
| Hiawatha Service | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Hiawatha Service |
| Illini | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Illini |
| Illinois Zephyr | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Illinois Zephyr |
| Keystone Service | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia | Cardinal or Keystone Service |
| Lake Shore Limited | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Lake Shore Limited |
| Lincoln Service | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Lincoln Service |
| Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Lincoln Service Missouri River Runner |
| Maple Leaf | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station | Cardinal or Maple Leaf |
| Northeast Regional | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 7 more | Cardinal or Northeast Regional |
| Palmetto | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 4 more | Cardinal or Palmetto |
| Pennsylvanian | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia | Cardinal or Pennsylvanian |
| Pere Marquette | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Pere Marquette |
| Saluki | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Saluki |
| Silver Meteor | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 4 more | Cardinal or Silver Meteor |
| Southwest Chief | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Southwest Chief |
| Texas Eagle | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Texas Eagle |
| Vermonter | New York Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station, Newark, Trenton, Philadelphia and 3 more | Cardinal or Vermonter |
| Wolverine | Chicago Union Station | Cardinal or Wolverine |
Routes that stop at a station this train stops at, from the same timetable. Transfer times are not checked.