 The "George Washington" was combined with the "James Whitcomb Riley" on July 12, 1971, to provide through service to Chicago.The Newport News section was lightly used—usually not filling a single coach—and passengers between the Tidewater region and the Northeast had to transfer at Charlottesville.The March 25, 1975, introduction of the Chicago–Norfolk "Mountaineer" satisfied a federal mandate for Amtrak to provide service between Cincinnati and the Tidewater.