Editing Cardinal (train) (section)

=== Plans ===
In the July 2010 issue of ''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]'' magazine, the ''Cardinal'' was noted as being one of five routes under consideration for performance improvement. For the ''Cardinal'', the proposed changes included increasing service from thrice-weekly to daily operation, and changing the western terminus to [[Gateway Multimodal Transportation Center|St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]. ''Railfan and Railroad'' magazine also suggested that the train be rerouted to St. Louis, with a separate section bound for Chicago.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=July 2010 |title=Amtrak Trains Under the Microscope |magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |page=20}}</ref>

In early October 2010, Amtrak released a report detailing plans to increase the ''Cardinal''{{'}}s service from thrice-weekly to daily service, as well as increasing the train's on-time performance and food service.<ref>{{cite web |title=More trains: Amtrak plans to dailify the Cardinal |url=http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/10/02/more-trains-amtrak-plans-to-dailify-the-cardinal/ |publisher=The Hook |access-date=October 5, 2010 |date=October 2, 2010 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204071128/http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/10/02/more-trains-amtrak-plans-to-dailify-the-cardinal/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The January 2011 issue of ''Trains'' later revealed that Amtrak would scrap re-routing and Superliner conversion and instead adopt not only daily service, but also purchasing dome cars to be used along the Chicago-Washington, D.C.{{nbsp}}portion of the trip. In addition, the routing into Chicago Union Station would be changed and station platforms along the route containing coal dust would be scrubbed and cleaned.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 2011 |title=Amtrak's Improvement Wish List |magazine=Trains |pages=20–21}}</ref>

However, obstacles to a daily ''Cardinal'' persist. Track capacity is limited on the [[Buckingham Branch Railroad]], a short line railroad between [[Orange, Virginia|Orange]] and [[Clifton Forge, Virginia]] where the ''Cardinal'' operates along former C&O/CSX trackage, preventing frequent freight trains from passing a daily ''Cardinal''. This problem also applied to the planned-but-failed ''[[Greenbrier Presidential Express]]'' train, which would also have traversed the Buckingham Branch on a weekly basis. The Buckingham Branch requires additional funding to expand several sidings before allowing additional service.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 2012 |title=Bob Bryant's Big Little Railroad |magazine=Trains |page=51}}</ref> Another obstacle is freight congestion in Chicago particularly at the 75th Street Corridor on Chicago's South Side.<ref name="create">{{cite web |url=http://www.createprogram.org/factsheets/P3.pdf |title=P2, P3, EW2, GS19 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project |date=November 2015 |publisher=CREATE |access-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-date=January 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113141527/http://www.createprogram.org/factsheets/P3.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The third obstacle is capacity at the [[Long Bridge (Potomac River)|Long Bridge]] in Washington, D.C.<ref name=longbridge>{{cite news |last1=Lazo |first1=Luz |title=Virginia to build Long Bridge and acquire CSX right of way to expand passenger train service |newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/virginia-to-build-long-bridge-and-acquire-csx-right-of-way-to-expand-passenger-train-service/2019/12/19/c021ffbc-ff08-11e9-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html |accessdate=January 9, 2022 |date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> Infrastructure improvements are being made at all three. The [[Orange and Alexandria Railroad|Orange Branch]] between Orange and [[Gordonsville, Virginia|Gordonsville]] raised train speed after the completion of a track and signal project in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://buckinghambranch.com/speed-orange-amtrak/ |title=Picking Up Speed in Orange |date=April 17, 2017 |publisher=Buckingham Branch Railroad |access-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref> The [[Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program]] (CREATE) has received funding under a [[public–private partnership]] (P3) for the 75th Street Corridor with construction beginning in October 2018 and is scheduled to be finished by 2025.<ref name="create" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://chicagocrusader.com/preckwinkle-partners-mark-75th-street-rail-corridor-improvement-project/ |title=Preckwinkle, Partners Mark 75th Street Rail Corridor Improvement Project |newspaper=The Chicago Crusader |date=October 1, 2018 |access-date=December 12, 2018}}</ref> A parallel span of the Long Bridge is full funded and moving towards engineering design and financing.<ref name=longbridge />

Starting on October{{nbsp}}1, 2019, traditional dining car services were removed and replaced with a reduced menu of "Flexible Dining" options. As a result, the changes to the consist of the train will have the dining car serve as a lounge car for the exclusive use of sleeping car passengers.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://media.amtrak.com/2019/09/amtrak-introduces-enhanced-menu-and-flexible-dining-experience-on-five-routes/ |title=AMTRAK INTRODUCES ENHANCED MENU AND FLEXIBLE DINING EXPERIENCE ON FIVE ROUTES |publisher=Amtrak |date=September 13, 2019}}</ref>

In June 2021, Senator [[Jon Tester]] of [[Montana]] added an amendment to the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021 which would require the [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]] (not Amtrak itself) to evaluate daily service on all less frequent long-distance trains, meaning the ''Cardinal'' and ''[[Sunset Limited]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Manchin Secures Language To Evaluate Ways To Restore Cardinal Train Daily Service Through West Virginia |url=https://www.manchin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/manchin-secures-language-to-evaluate-ways-to-restore-cardinal-train-daily-service-through-west-virginia |website=www.manchin.senate.gov |access-date=July 27, 2021 |language=en |date=June 16, 2021}}</ref> The bill passed the [[United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation|Senate Commerce Committee]] with bipartisan support,<ref>{{cite web |title=Key Policy Victories in Senate Rail Title |url=https://www.railpassengers.org/happening-now/news/blog/key-policy-victories-in-senate-rail-title/ |website=www.railpassengers.org |publisher=Rail Passengers Association |access-date=July 27, 2021 |language=en |date=June 16, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Luczak |first1=Marybeth |title=Senate Commerce Committee's Bipartisan $78B Surface Transportation Bill Advances |url=https://www.railwayage.com/news/senate-commerce-committees-bipartisan-78b-surface-transportation-bill-advances/ |access-date=July 27, 2021 |work=Railway Age |date=June 17, 2021}}</ref> and was later rolled into [[Joe Biden|President Biden's]] [[Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act]] (IIJA), which Congress passed on November{{nbsp}} 5, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=What's in the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act (IIJA)? |url=https://www.railpassengers.org/happening-now/news/blog/whats-in-the-investment-in-infrastructure-and-jobs-act-iija/ |website=www.railpassengers.org |publisher=Rail Passengers Association |access-date=November 11, 2021 |language=en |date=November 8, 2021}}</ref> The report is known as the [[Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study]] and must be delivered to Congress within two years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr3684/BILLS-117hr3684enr.pdf |access-date=November 11, 2021 |pages=285–256}}</ref> In mid-2023, Amtrak applied for a federal grant to operate the ''Cardinal'' daily and increase speeds between Indianapolis and Dyer.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://media.amtrak.com/2023/06/amtrak-applies-for-federal-grants-to-improve-long-distance-network/ |title=Amtrak Applies for Federal Grants to Improve Long Distance Network |date=June 5, 2023 |publisher=Amtrak}}</ref> In December 2023 the daily ''Cardinal'' project was granted $500,000 from the IIJA through the [[Federal Railroad Administration|Federal Railroad Administration's]] [[Corridor Identification and Development Program]].<ref>{{cite web |title=FY22 Corridor Identification and Development Program Selections |url=https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2023-12/FY22%20CID%20Project%20Summaries-Map-r1.pdf |website=railroads.dot.gov |publisher=[[Federal Railroad Administration]] |access-date=9 December 2023 |date=December 2023}}</ref>