Hoosier State (train)

Hoosier State

The Hoosier State in Shelby, Indiana in 2011
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Operating
First service	October 1, 1980
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Ridership	119 per train 37,249 total (FY11)
Route
Start	Chicago
Stops	4
End	Indianapolis
Distance travelled	196 miles (315 km)
Service frequency	Quad-weekly
Train number(s)	850/851
Technical
Track owner(s)	CSXT, UP, BRC Metra, NS
Route map Dist. Station 0 mi Chicago Illinois Indiana 29 mi 47 km Dyer 75 mi 121 km Rensselaer 122 mi 196 km Lafayette 149 mi 240 km Crawfordsville 196 mi 315 km Indianapolis Cardinal to New York Note: = flag stop

Route map
Dist. Station 0 mi Chicago Illinois Indiana 29 mi 47 km Dyer 75 mi 121 km Rensselaer 122 mi 196 km Lafayette 149 mi 240 km Crawfordsville 196 mi 315 km Indianapolis Cardinal to New York Note: = flag stop

Note: = flag stop

The Hoosier State is an Amtrak passenger train that provides service on a 196-mile (315 km) route between Chicago and Indianapolis. It runs on the four days each week that the Cardinal does not run – departing Chicago Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and departing Indianapolis Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday – giving the Chicago–Indianapolis market daily rail service.

Prior to Amtrak, the Chicago–Indianapolis market was served by several daily trains, the Pennsylvania Railroad's South Wind and Kentuckian, and the New York Central's James Whitcomb Riley, Indianapolis Special, and Sycamore. With the creation of Amtrak, riders were served by the South Wind and the George Washington/James Whitcomb Riley. However, with Penn Central's financial instability, track maintenance was rare, and Amtrak shifted both trains to other routes through Indiana, leaving Indianapolis to be served only by the National Limited, which ran between New York and Kansas City.

The National Limited's discontinuance in 1979 severed Indianapolis from the national rail network, and isolated Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in the Indianapolis suburb of Beech Grove. The passenger carrier had been using the National Limited to ferry railroad cars to and from its shops; it was forced to run special trains to Indianapolis instead.