Impressions of the Amtrak Cardinal Line???

Question

Hi,

This is a 12 hour trip from VA to OH. Has anyone ever travelled this route? How nice are the cars, bathrooms, space, etc.? If you had a sleeper car, how small were they? Was it better than a coach seat? Are the rails very bumpy making the ride uncomfortable? What are great sites to see? I'm basically looking for any helpful comments/tips about the Cardinal Line--bad or good.

Thanks!

Answer 1

The Cardinal still runs, from New York to Chicago. It now uses Viewliner equipment sadly, and the meal service isn't what it used to be.

Having said that, Viewliner sleepers are better than Superliners as you get the top window. But for a 12 hour journey, most of which will be during the day, do you really need a sleeper?

Scenery-wise, the New River Gorge is great. Views are mainly on your left initially but later on you'll cross the river and the views disappear before reappearing on the right - there's a capital building in some city late at night. Watch out for the high suspension bridge before you cross the river. You might be able to get a view out of the back of the train if the last car is a passenger car in service, which gives a unique view from the train.

The ride into Cincinnatti is impressive, with all the coloured lights. This will be on your right (mostly) also.

Amtrak is reasonable; don't expect the Orient Express. It could well be late. If your destination is Cincy, make sure you have transport arranged. We had to wait over an hour for the sole taxi to transport a couple of families before returning to pick us up.

Answer 2

if you get a sleeper your meals are included

Answer 3

Are you sure the Cardinal is still running? I heard several months ago that it was cancelling. I rode it 4 years ago to Cincinatti and it was OK.