New 2nd Train: Twin Cities to Chicago - Borealis
12/8/24 Borealis News and Developments:
The success of the Borealis has captured the attention of the media. Within the past few months alone, there have been at least three different articles within the StarTribune, and news stories on KSTP - TV and Kare 11 TV, along with other articles by the Pioneer Press and MinnPost. All Aboard Minnesota has been included in several of these stories, and we don't think there has been this much positive coverage of passenger rail service in many years. Recently, an article was published in WissBusiness which reads in part: With ridership running ahead of expectations on Amtrak’s new Borealis, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation is studying whether to add a second daily round trip between Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities.
This is a hugely positive development, and WisDOT is already looking at a Chicago - Madison - Eau Claire - Twin Cities train. In order for corridor to be fully utilized, there needs to be three round trips a day. We fully support both of these initiatives, and the Borealis, along with strong ridership on the Empire Builder, proves the demand is there. Here is a link to the WissBusiness story: https://www.wispolitics.com/2024/wisdot-studying-possibility-of-adding-more-passenger-rail-capacity/
11/19/24 Borealis Update: Borealis ridership continues to remain very strong for October with 10,981 on #1333 Westbound and 10,055 on #1340 Eastbound for a total of 21,036. This ridership equates to the strong summer months of July and August. Since May 21 inauguration day and the end of Sept, the Borealis has carried over 88,000 passengers, with one third of these passengers carried in the Chicago to Milwaukee portion of the route. This means the Borealis is generating substantial ridership in the Milwaukee to St. Paul corridor. As we have stated several times, ridership on the Empire Builder is up overall since last year and conductors have reported an increase in the St. Paul to Chicago corridor on the EB.
On time performance for #1340 Eastbound arrival in Chicago has improved quite a bit, with an average delay of under 15 minutes, when this summer it was 30 minutes. Westbound #1333 average delay is still around 39 minutes late into St. Paul but it isn't getting any worse. The leading cause of delay for both trains is "passenger train interference," in other words meets with the Empire Builder. However, once the construction projects are completed in LaCrosse and Winona as specified by the CPKC Railway to alleviate these delays things should improve quite a bit. Overall corridor performance of Amtrak trains nationwide is about 72%.
10/25/24 Watch the KSTP TV story about the Borealis success; KSTP TV Borealis
Note on Borealis ridership - there have been several comments on the StarTrib article and coming into AAMN that the Borealis ridership numbers are meaningless if it cannibalizes Empire Builder ridership. We have reported below that Empire Builder ridership is actually up by 24,000 riders over a year ago. One of the strongest corridors for EB ridership is the St. Paul to Chicago corridor. In September, Brian Nelson of AAMN rode the Empire Builder to Williston, ND roundtrip and had the opportunity to talk with several conductors and asked the specific question if the Borealis had cannibalized EB ridership. All conductors said no, and in fact, they all stated that St. Paul to Chicago ridership was up in their observation. When arriving into St. Paul eastbound on the EB in September, there were over 100 coach passengers waiting to board, and conductors announced that every seat would be full from St. Paul to Chicago. Ridership numbers on the EB and Borealis prove that the demand in the St. Paul to Chicago corridor for rail passenger service is there. We just want to set the record straight here.
Borealis in the news! StarTrib reporting on the Borealis hitting 100.000 riders in 22 weeks! Brian Nelson from All Aboard Minnesota quoted: Borealis in the news - StarTrib Story
10/23/24 Borealis update: ridership numbers for September are 18,788 in total. While down slightly from July the numbers are still higher than June, the first full month of service and ridership continues to be very strong.
Amtrak just reported that since May 21 when the service was inaugurated, that the Borealis has carried its 100,000 passenger! MnDOT and Amtrak projected ridership of 125,000 annually, and All Aboard Minnesota projected 150,000 riders. It appears ridership will be above all projections for the first full year, proving the demand is there!
Many members and friends still continue to report full and sold out trains, and many good experiences. Go Borealis!
9/19/24 Borealis update: ridership numbers for August remain strong, with a slight increase over July's impressive numbers!
Ridership for August:
Westbound #1333 11,746
Eastbound #1340 10,563
Total 22,309
Note - Ridership on the Empire Builder has shown slight increases this year, so we believe there is little to no cannibalization of Empire Builder ridership.
8/23/24 The Borealis ridership numbers for July are in, and they are quite impressive! Borealis ridership showed gains for the month of July according to WisDOT!
1333 (WB) 11,031 356/day
1340 (EB) 10,236 330/day
Total 21,267 686/day
This is almost a 15% increase over June! Some trip segments (e.g., Milwaukee to St. Paul) have been selling out on Fridays and Sundays also per WisDOT. This information coincides with our members reports that both eastbound and westbound Borealis trains seem to be full the entire route! Lets keep this up! Thanks for all of our members and friends ridership and your trip reports.
7/12/2024 - Borealis success is getting noted! Recently Brian Nelson from All Aboard Minnesota was interviewed by WCCO Radio on the train's success; Amtrak’s new train service between St. Paul, Chicago success (audacy.com)
7/5/2024 Borealis Ridership Update - the Borealis continued to do very well in June with total ridership of 18,557, which equals a daily average of 618.6. #1333 Westbound carried a total of of 9,906, or 330 daily, and #1340 Eastbound carried a total of 8,651, or 288 daily (these ridership numbers are from WisDOT). Thanks to all of you who have taken trips on the Borealis. Let's keep this up! At this pace and if this ridership keeps up, the train will be a resounding success and above all forecasts, see below!
6/30/2024 - Borealis Update - the service is off to a great start, with over 600 passengers a day, 329 Westbound per day, and 275 Eastbound per day according to WisDOT . This equates to over 220,000 riders per year! All Aboard Minnesota forecasted 155,000 riders per year, and Amtrak and MnDOT forecasted around 125.000 riders per year. So, the intial resuts are above all forecasts. This proves the demand is there for more rail passenger service in our state and region! We will keep you posted on further progress.
On May 21, our new 2nd train from the Twin Cities to Chicago began, named Borealis! A huge thank you to all of our friends, members, and colleagues who made the Borealis happen! We all worked together for years and it paid off with our new train. We all won together!
Events and ribbon cutting ceremonies were held in St. Paul, Red Wing, Winona, and LaCrosse. Several AAMN members participated in the first run and described it as a great experience! The mood was "celebratory, relaxed, fun, joyful" as our members put it. There were great turnouts at all these stations and covered by local media. We have posted some of that coverage on our Facebook page.
The event in St. Paul was attended by approximately 200 people, and there was great press coverage from the StarTribune, Pioneer Press, MPR, Kare 11, and many others. Ian Buck from Streets MN (with whom we have done a few podcasts in the past) covered the first run. His podcast is posted here
Speakers in St. Paul included:
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan; FRA Administrator Amit Bose; Senator Amy Klobuchar State Director Erika Nelson; Congresswoman Betty McCollum Outreach Director, Charlie Hammond; Minnesota Department of Transportation, Jean Wallace; Minnesota House Transportation Committee Chair Frank Hornstein; Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega; Ramsey County Commissioner Trista Martinson; Greg Regan, President, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; and Amtrak CEO Steven Gardner.
Amtrak CEO Gardner got off the train in at least Red Wing, Winona, and LaCrosse to cut ribbons and greet passengers! All Aboard Minnesota Board Directors were on hand for the first westbound run to greet arriving passengers and handed out commorative first run post cards!
The Borealis is significant and historic because this is the first new passenger train the state of Minnesota has experienced since 1975, with the advent of the North Star between the Twin Cities and Duluth. We will use this page to promote the new train, and keep you updated with developments and its performance. We strongly believe the Borealis will be a resounding success, and will change the conversation from "why should we add more passenger train service" to "where and when should we add more passenger train service." The Borealis will add mobility options, economic benefits, and offers a greener choice for travel.
AAMN Board Directors talk about the significance of the new train: MAY 21 Borealis Launch
Chris Ott of Midwest High Speed Rail and Brian Nelson All Aboard Minnesota President on May 21
All Aboard Minnesota believes that the Borealis will lead to more passenger rail service for Minnesotans, and the build out of a more robust passenger rail network. The next routes we believe will offer the most potential are:
- Extending the Borealis to Fargo/Moorhead on a daytime schedule on the current Empire Builder route
- New sevice from the Twin Cities to Kansas City, connecting us to the California Zephyr serving Denver and San Francisco, and the Southwest Chief, serving Phoenix and Los Angeles
Equipment and Timing
- Borealis will consist of four refreshed Horizon equipment coaches, and an Amfleet Cafe/Business class car
- The trian will make the trip between the Twin Cities and Chicago in 7 1/2 hours, about 30 minutes faster than the Empire Builder.
Lets make the Borealis a huge success! Ride it often, and enjoy your trip. Here is the schedule and cafe car menu:
Borealis Timetable (note - includes the Empire Builder schedule for comparison)