to operate only three days a week, the other being the Sunset Limited. Like other long-distance trains, passengers are not allowed to travel only between stations on the Northeast Corridor on the Cardinal. Eastbound trains only stop to discharge passengers from Alexandria northward, and westbound trains only stop to receive passengers from Newark to Washington. This policy aims to keep seats available for passengers making longer trips; passengers traveling between Northeast Corridor stations can use the more frequent Acela Express or Northeast Regional services. Route details The Cardinal operates over Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Railway, Buckingham Branch Railroad, Canadian National Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, and Metra trackage: Amtrak Northeast Corridor, New York to Washington CSX RF&P Subdivision, Washington to Alexandria NS Washington District, Alexandria to Orange BB Orange Subdivision and North Mountain Subdivision, Orange to Clifton Forge CSX Alleghany Subdivision, New River Subdivision, Kanawha Subdivision, Russell Subdivision, Northern Subdivision, Cincinnati Subdivision, Cincinnati Terminal Subdivision, Indianapolis Subdivision, Indianapolis Terminal Subdivision, Crawfordsville Branch Subdivision, Lafayette Subdivision, and Monon Subdivision, Clifton Forge to Munster CN Elsdon Subdivision, Munster to Thornton UP Villa Grove Subdivision, Thornton to 81st Street BRC Kenton Line Subdivision, 81st Street to 74th Street Metra SouthWest Service, 74th Street to Chicago NS Chicago Line, CP 518 to Chicago (Depending on Dispatcher preference, The Cardinal often runs between CP 518 and 21st Street on NS) The Buckingham Branch trackage is one of the few Class III railroad used in the Amtrak system. Station stops Ridership References Notes Further reading Mike Schafer, Amtrak's atlas, Trains, June 1991 Amtrak October 2010 report on the Cardinal External links Amtrak routes Passenger rail transportation in New York (state) Passenger rail transportation in New Jersey Passenger rail transportation in Pennsylvania Passenger rail transportation in Delaware Passenger rail transportation in Maryland Passenger rail transportation in Washington, D.C. Passenger rail transportation in Virginia Passenger rail transportation in West Virginia Passenger rail transportation in Kentucky Passenger rail transportation in Ohio Passenger rail transportation in Indiana Passenger rail transportation in Illinois Night trains of the United States Railway services introduced in 1977 Passenger rail transportation in Cincinnati Long distance Amtrak routes