Staunton's Amtrak station has been a part of the city's rail life for well over a century, with a depot on this site since 1854 and the current station building dating to 1902. Today, it's served by Amtrak's Cardinal, the long-distance route running three days a week between New York and Chicago. The next station towards New York is Charlottesville and the next station towards Chicago is Clifton Forge.
The station itself is small and unstaffed, but the surrounding setup makes it feel more welcoming than you'd expect from a modest single-platform stop.
There's a surprisingly fancy restaurant inside the historic station building, and outside you'll find plenty of seating that makes waiting for the train easy. Parking i limited, and while short-term spots are available, it's not clear whether leaving a car here for an extended period is allowed. Nothing on-site makes that obvious.
There is no signage with a schedule posted or the status of the train, but you can use your Amtrak app to see when the next train is coming and how late it is.
All in all, it's a charming little stop with more character than most small-town stations, even if the logistics take a moment to figure out.
[Review 1215 of 2026 - 1580 in Virginia - 26394 overall] read more