Cardinal vs Capitol Limited

The Cardinal and Capitol Limited are two of Amtrak’s long-distance routes. Both travel between Chicago and the East Coast through the Alleghany Mountains. However, the Cardinal only operates three days each week while the Capitol Limited is a daily train. The Capitol Limited is also a much shorter route and is the fastest way to get between Chicago and Washington D.C. on Amtrak (it’s more than six hours faster than the Cardinal).

One of the reasons why the Cardinal travel time is longer is because it travels through the New River Gorge in West Virginia. It’s one of the most scenic Amtrak trips on the East Coast. Plus, of the two routes, only the Cardinal stops in New York City (the train is one-level tall in order to fit in the Hudson River tunnels), while the Capitol Limited (aptly named) starts and ends in Washington D.C. and is two levels tall.

See the table below to learn more about the differences and similarities between the two routes.

	Cardinal	Capitol Limited
Route Length	1,146 miles	764 miles
Frequency	3x per week	Daily
Number of Stops	36	14
Type of Train	Viewliner	Superliner
Sleeper Car	Yes	Yes
Sightseer Lounge	No	No
Dining Options	Café and free meals for sleeper car passengers	Café and free meals for sleeper car passengers
WiFi	Yes	No
States on the Route	IL, IN, OH, KY, WV, VA, MD, DE, PA, NJ, NY	IL, IN, OH, PA, WV, MD
End-of-the Line Stations	Chicago and New York City	Chicago and Washington D.C.
Popular Stops	Chicago, Indianapolis, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC	Chicago, South Bend, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Harpers Ferry, DC
Landscapes	Midwest farmland, Alleghany Mountains, New River Gorge, Shenandoah Valley	Midwest farmland, Alleghany Mountains, Potomac River