Oxford Amtrak Cardinal stop plan moves toward 2027 launch

Oxford Amtrak Cardinal stop planning is moving ahead as the city works toward adding a station platform for the triweekly train.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Oxford City Council has approved the platform plans and authorized an agreement with CSX for the land needed to build it, as reported by Trains.com.

Project funding and the CSX land agreement

WUXU Radio says design is underway for a multimodal facility that would also include bus service, and a groundbreaking is expected this year. The approximately $4 million project is fully funded, including a $2 million grant from the Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

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The city and Miami University will split the remaining costs. Assistant City Manager Jessica Green told the station Oxford will partner with Butler County Regional Transit Authority on a waiting room that includes a train display board.

Chestnut Street site near Miami University

The new Amtrak station in Oxford, Ohio is planned for Chestnut Street, just a few blocks from the edge of Miami University’s campus. Oxford had a population of 23,035 in the 2020 census, and the university has about 18,000 students.

Oxford Amtrak Cardinal stop schedule and timing

The platform is projected to be ready in 2027. For now, the Cardinal’s nearest stops are Cincinnati, 32 miles to the south, and Connersville, Indiana, 25 miles to the northwest. Under the plan, the westbound train would stop in Oxford on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while the eastbound train would serve Oxford on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The stop would occur in the early-morning hours, consistent with the current Cincinnati times shown in the Amtrak Cardinal timetable (PDF): the westbound Cardinal is listed there at 1:41 a.m. on Sundays and 2:21 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, while the eastbound train is due in Cincinnati at 3:37 a.m.

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