Cardinal vs. Hoosier State

[gmcguire]

Hi everyone (long time lurker, first time poster.) I'll be taking a trip to Lafayette IN from Emeryville in April. The obvious plan is to take the Zephyr to Chicago and then take the Cardinal or Hoosier State, depending on the exact date of the trip. Since I have some variability on when I travel, is there an argument for traveling when I can take the Cardinal over the Hoosier State? Is there an equipment / service difference? Of course the Cardinal has sleepers, but I wouldn't shell out the cash for such a short trip (I will for the Zephyr, though). Any opinions?

Relatedly, Amtrak lets me book both as a single trip, which I think makes the connection guaranteed, right? I notice the performance of the Zephyr into Chicago has been poor lately, often arriving later than the 2hrs before the Card/HS leaves...so what happens if I miss the connection?

 

[AlanB]

The biggest difference is that the Cardinal has a diner-lite car, which offers better meals than the traditional cafe car does. The Hoosier State has no cafe car, so there is no food available on board the train. So personally I'd probably opt for the Cardinal if at all possible just to have that option.

Regarding your second question, yes, that is a guaranteed connection. If you arrive too late to make it, then most likely Amtrak will put you up in a hotel for the night, give you a food allowance, and then book you on the next day's train be it the Cardinal or the Hoosier.

 

[meatpuff]

Regarding your second question, yes, that is a guaranteed connection. If you arrive too late to make it, then most likely Amtrak will put you up in a hotel for the night, give you a food allowance, and then book you on the next day's train be it the Cardinal or the Hoosier.

Welcome, gmcguire!

Looking at the Zephyr eastbound's on-time performance into Chicago recently ( www.amtrakdelays.com , train 6), I would plan on missing the connection. It looks like you can flip a coin as to whether you'll make the connection (it looks like they hold the Cardinal sometimes, which helps your chances). I wouldn't plan for sure on being in Lafayette the night the Zephyr arrives in Chicago, I'm sorry to say.

Knowing that, if you want to, you could almost plan on it and hope to get a free day in Chicago on Amtrak's dime. Although I think there's nothing to say Amtrak won't insist that they pay for you to rent a car or take a bus that night instead of taking the next day's train if you miss the connection. You will need to be flexible on time to take this trip. But if you can be, the good news is you can depend on Amtrak to get you to Lafayette the same day or the next day at no extra cost to you. And downtown Chicago is a pretty cool place to be stuck for a day.

Make sure you book it as a single trip! I hope you can manage the uncertainty with whatever your plans are and still take the train, because the Zephyr is unreliable, but makes up for it by how gorgeous the route is!

 

[gmcguire]

Thanks a lot for the info! I hope to book the trip in the next few days...