The ''Kentucky Cardinal'' was a nightly
passenger train
A passenger train is a train used to transport people along a railroad line. These trains may consist of unpowered passenger railroad cars (also known as coaches or carriages) hauled by one or more locomotives, or may be self-propelled; self pr ...
operated by
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
from 1999 to 2003 between
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, and
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, via
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. On the three days that the ''
Cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to:
Animals
* Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae
**''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
'' ran, the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' operated as a section, splitting at Indianapolis. On the other four days, it ran on its own to Chicago.
History
![Kentucky Cardinal at Louisville, May 2002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Kentucky_Cardinal_at_Louisville%2C_May_2002.jpg)
Between May 1971 and August 1974 Amtrak's ''
Floridian'' ran from Chicago to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
via Indianapolis and Louisville. Due to deteriorating
Penn Central
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...
track in
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, the train was rerouted to the west north of
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. In April 1975 the train was routed back east over the former
Monon Railroad, again serving Louisville, but bypassing Indianapolis to the west. The ''Floridian'' served Louisville until its discontinuance in October 1979.
On December 17, 1999, the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' started running as a rebranding and extension of the ''
Hoosier State'', which ran four days a week between Chicago and Indianapolis (filling in the gaps in the ''Cardinal'' schedule). The ''Kentucky Cardinal'' ran as trains 850 southbound and 851 northbound, the same numbers as the ''Hoosier State.'' The train ran along former
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
/Penn Central trackage that had been used by the ''Floridian.'' It was an attempt to attract express business from
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service (UPS, stylized as ups) is an American multinational corporation, multinational package delivery, shipping & receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company ...
, which maintains its air-express hub at
Louisville International Airport. At first the train only ran from Indianapolis south to
Jeffersonville, Indiana
Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...
, a Louisville suburb, where a new
Amtrak Mail and Express facility was built. The city of Louisville spent $370,000 in 2001 to renovate
Louisville Union Station
The Union Station of Louisville, Kentucky is a historic railroad station that serves as offices for the Transit Authority of River City (TARC), as it has since mid-April 1980 after receiving a year-long restoration costing approximately $2 milli ...
for the service, and on December 4 the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' started to use a new track on the west side of the Union Station
parking lot
A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...
, marking Amtrak's return to Louisville after a 20-year absence.
Unlike its predecessor, the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' was a full-fledged daily train. On the days the ''Cardinal'' operated, the southbound ''Kentucky Cardinal'' split from the eastbound ''Cardinal'' (train 50) at Indianapolis and continued to Louisville, while the northbound ''Kentucky Cardinal'' combined with the westbound ''Cardinal'' (train 51) in Indianapolis for the journey to Chicago. On the remaining four days of the week, the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' ran independently from Louisville to Chicago. The ''
Texas Eagle'' operates in a similar manner, running as a section of the ''
Sunset Limited
The ''Sunset Limited'' is an Amtrak passenger train that for most of its history has operated between New Orleans and Los Angeles, over the nation's second transcontinental route. However, up until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it operated betwe ...
'' on the three days that the latter train operates.
The train was handicapped by inconvenient departure and arrival times, as it ran on the same schedule as the Indianapolis-Chicago leg of the ''Cardinal.'' It was also plagued by slow travel times, especially on the segment from Indianapolis south to Louisville. This segment was operated over the
Louisville and Indiana Railroad
The Louisville and Indiana Railroad is a Class III railroad that operates freight service between Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, with a major yard and maintenance shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is owned by Anacostia Rail Ho ...
, which had purchased the line from
Conrail
Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...
in 1994, and had a speed limit of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h) over most of the route due to its
jointed rail
A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...
. This made travel on the southern leg of the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' slower than
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
traffic on the parallel
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 (I-65) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates ending in 5, it is a major crosscountry, north–south route, connecting between the Great Lakes and the Gulf ...
.
With the opening in 1999,
Greyhound began running
Thruway Motorcoach
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, tran ...
bus connections from Jeffersonville south to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, with stops at
Elizabethtown and
Bowling Green, Kentucky. Though rail passenger advocates tried to get the train's route extended to Nashville in an effort to increase ridership, Amtrak lost its mail contract, and the ''Kentucky Cardinal'' last ran July 4, 2003, restoring the old ''Hoosier State'' on July 6 (the ''Cardinal'' ran both ways on July 5).
Route details
The tracks used were originally part of the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
system, and are now owned by the
Louisville and Indiana Railroad
The Louisville and Indiana Railroad is a Class III railroad that operates freight service between Indianapolis, Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky, with a major yard and maintenance shop in Jeffersonville, Indiana. It is owned by Anacostia Rail Ho ...
. The following lines were used:
*
Louisville Bridge and Terminal Railway (PRR),
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, to
Clarksville, Indiana
Clarksville is a town in Clark County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River and is a part of the Louisville Metropolitan area. The population was 22,333 at the 2020 census. The town was founded in 1783 by early resident George Rogers Cla ...
, now L&I
*
Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
The Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad (JM&I) was formed in 1866 as a merger between the Indianapolis and Madison Railroad and the Jeffersonville Railroad.
Genealogy
The JM&I predecessors were as follows:
*Jeffersonville, Madison ...
(PRR), Clarksville to
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
, now L&I
Notes
References
*Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas, ''
Trains'' June 1991
*Scanner, ''
Trains'' February 2000
*''Kentucky Cardinal'' fulfills its name, ''
Trains'' March 2002
*''Kentucky Cardinal'' wings clipped, ''
Trains'' June 2003
*Status quo is not a substitute for growth, ''
Trains'' October 2003
*
External links
Amtrak - ''Kentucky Cardinal''on the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
{{Former Amtrak routes
Former Amtrak routes
Transportation in Louisville, Kentucky
Passenger rail transportation in Illinois
Passenger rail transportation in Indiana
Passenger rail transportation in Kentucky
Railway services introduced in 1999
Railway services discontinued in 2003