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Cardinal/ Continued push for daily service


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#11 Sam Damon

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Posted 13 December 2016 - 11:25 PM

NARP is running an Action Campaign in the interest of daily Cardinal. The efforts continue all these years later. The stuff we were talking about 5 or 6 years ago still applies, although the new Viewliner equipment we expected to be running still is not. And Cardinals have been running with 2 sleepers at peak times, which may put more demand on the Viewliner sleeper fleet.

 

Well, yes.  Politicians in "downstate" WV have bugged Amtrak for years concerning the tri-weekly Cardinal.

 

Collapse of CSX coal operations in Huntington, WV area has caused CSX to change their tune considerably concerning possible running of a daily Cardinal.  A shame, but that's the way things seem to work these days.



#12 KevinKorell

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Posted 26 December 2016 - 05:32 PM

Register-Herald, Beckley, WV, 12/26/16:


 

Increased train service could up Hinton's tourism

 

Tourists could be coming down the tracks for this town of about 2,500.

 

Once a bustling railroad town of about 5,000 situated along the New River just north of the confluence of the Greenbrier River, Hinton has seen its population dwindle by about half. Along with people, businesses and a tax base left after the railroads left when coal started a downward spiral.

 

Story



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#13 Sloan

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Posted 22 March 2017 - 06:32 PM

 

 

WV House votes to push for daily Amtrak service

http://www.wvgazette.../GZ01/170329872



#14 Sloan

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Posted 22 November 2017 - 04:45 PM

FROM RPA (formerly NARP) 11-22-2017

 

 

Amtrak’s Cardinal train, which runs from New York To Chicago three times a week, experienced a 7.25 percent increase in ridership for FY 2016-17. Amtrak reported that the Cardinal had 7,601 new riders and carried a total of 112,432 passengers. Additionally, the Cardinal added to Amtrak’s historic year overall, as it recorded 31.7 million passenger trips which was a 1.5 percent increase over FY 2016. System-wide revenue was $3.2 billion, a 1.1 percent increase over FY 2015-16.

All in all, the success of the Cardinal is great news for Amtrak and passenger rail, but it came as somewhat of a surprise. “Obviously, any time we have an increase, I’m pleased,” said Chuck Riecks, a vice president with the Rail Passengers Association and co-chairman of the local Friends of the Cardinal group. He said the increases were particularly encouraging, given issues with on-time performance for the Cardinal in past months due to ongoing operational problems with CSX freight trains on the route.

The CSX freight trains caused considerable on-time performance issues throughout the year, but despite this, the Cardinal route flourished. As the CSX freight issue is currently moving through the regulatory process, the future of the Cardinal route looks great, with the hopes of adding more first class cars in the coming year.

Bold face, mine.  Sloan



#15 KevinKorell

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Posted 23 November 2017 - 01:03 AM

Cardinal would need a couple more trainsets to accomplish daily service. However, the practice of running 2 sleepers during the summer months might not be necessary if they can be deployed with just one sleeper on daily trains.  I assume that is what RPA means by adding more first class cars in the coming year. Hopefully if the new diners ever fully enter service, there would be enough to equip daily Cardinals in both directions.

 

They really do need to work out the operational issues with CSX freights, as I can relate from personal experience that this can cause many hours-long serious delays to the train.  With such a long circuitous route that it takes between Chicago and New York, a bad delay like 8-10 hours is going to cause other issues with the trains it meets, and also in turning the train on a daily basis at the endpoint terminals since the equipment might not be available to be sent out on time.



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#16 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 April 2021 - 11:21 PM

Staunton, VA News-Leader, 4/8/21:

 


 

    Amtrak hints at an upgrade for the Cardinal, then seems to change its mind  

 

 

A couple of years back I was riding Amtrak’s Cardinal home on a Friday afternoon, commuting from a short-term assignment up north.

 

Article



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#17 KevinKorell

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Posted 22 June 2021 - 10:29 AM

Huntington, WV Herald-Dispatch, 6/22/21:

 


 

   Manchin seeking new study on restoring Cardinal’s daily service 

 

 

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has secured language in the pending federal Surface Transportation Investment Act authorizing Amtrak to evaluate ways it could restore the Cardinal to daily service.

 

Update



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#18 KevinKorell

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Posted 24 June 2021 - 12:35 PM

Editorial in Huntington, WV Herald-Dispatch, 6/23/21:

 


 

   Editorial: Daily service on Amtrak's Cardinal is worth a try  

 

 

Sen. Joe Manchin wants Amtrak to study the possibility of upgrading the Cardinal to daily service. It may be a difficult sell, but it needs to be done.

 

Entire editorial



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#19 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 June 2023 - 12:42 AM

Huntington, WV Herald-Dispatch,  6/7/23:

 


 

     Federal grant funding could resume daily Amtrak service in WV  

 

 

Daily train service might soon become a reality again for Mountain State travelers.

 

 

Update



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#20 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 December 2023 - 12:05 PM

WV News, 12/7/23:

 


 

   Federal Grant Aids Restoration of Daily Amtrak Service in West Virginia, Boosting Connectivity and Economic Opportunities     

 

 

Amtrak has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to assist in the restoration of daily service to Huntington, Charleston, and the New River Gorge. The funding will be used by Amtrak to initiate the planning process for the Cardinal train to operate on a daily basis.

 

Here is the story.



Kevin Korell


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