Amtrak Launches Borealis Service from Chicago to St. Paul

A new Amtrak service will soon open more possibilities for travel within the Midwest.

The rail company just announced plans to launch a train service starting May 21, called the Borealis line, which will connect Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota, and Chicago, Illinois.

The service overlaps with the Hiawatha route between Chicago and Milwaukee (operating seven times a day) and the Empire Builder, which connects Chicago and Seattle once daily, with a stop in Minneapolis–St. Paul. Repairs and upgrades to the existing tracks made the second daily service possible for the first time since 1981. Amtrak predicts the Borealis train will see 232,000 passengers within its first year of service, which the Rail Passengers Association estimates will translate to 90,000 fewer people using personal vehicles.

“A second daily passenger rail service connecting St. Paul to Chicago via Milwaukee is a welcome addition to our transportation system, providing more choices and travel flexibility for passengers,” Nancy Daubenberger, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said in a statement.

The intercity passenger train will operate daily, with one train going in each direction. The eastbound train is scheduled to depart the Twin Cities at 11:50 a.m. and arrive in the Windy City at 7:14 p.m., while the westbound train will start rolling at 11:05 a.m. and come to a halt at 6:29 p.m. At 7 hours and 24 minutes, the journey takes roughly one hour longer than driving between the two metro areas would (without traffic delays).

Coach tickets will start at $41 one-way for adults, while business-class seats start at $98 each way. Discounts are available for children, students, seniors, current and former military personnel and their families, and groups. According to Amtrak, there will be free Wi-Fi on the train, a café car serving regional specialties, and reclining chairs (with no middle seats).

The train will make additional stops in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. The stops will include Red Wing and Winona in Minnesota; La Crosse, Tomah, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Columbus, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, and Sturtevant in Wisconsin; and Glenview, Illinois.

“There were years when it seemed as if this announcement would never take place, and yet here we are today celebrating a new round trip that will transform transportation in this busy corridor,” Jim Mathews, president and CEO of advocacy group Rail Passengers Association, stated in a press release. “Passenger trains mean trips that are taken off of highways and out of the sky, saving lives, limiting pollution, and opening up new possibilities. These new trains also mean new trips that would not have otherwise taken place at all, producing direct returns for the communities they serve.”

The new service is an example of the types of rail enhancement and expansion projects being supported under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Congress passed in 2021. And it may be just the beginning of expanded passenger rails within this segment of the Midwest. The proposed Northern Lights Express service, which would connect the Twin Cities and Duluth, Minnesota, is currently being studied, and a proposal for new service from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to the Twin Cities (through Menomonie and Hudson in Wisconsin) also recently won a federal grant for preliminary funding.