By Phil Kabler, Staff Writer, Charleston Gazette-Mail; December 10, 2019
In a year when Amtrak set overall ridership records, and the Cardinal train led all long-distance trains with a 12.6 percent increase, Cardinal ridership in West Virginia fell 31 percent, according to figures released Monday by the national passenger rail service.
For the 2018-19 federal fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, ridership on the thrice-weekly Cardinal increased from 96,710 passengers in 2017-18 to 108,935 riders in 2018-19, with the restoration of the Washington-to-New York City segment of the route in mid-November 2018 after a 8½ month suspension.