Trains Article Analysis - WASHINGTON — The increases weren’t large compared to pre-pandemic 2019, but more Northeast Regional frequencies enabled Amtrak to capture enough travel demand to beat the company’s previous overall record ridership in fiscal 2024. Also, a 24% gain in ticket revenue from long-distance trains compared to 2019, in spite of constricted coach and sleeping car capacity, generated a 6% rise in total revenue.

These are among the takeaways from Amtrak’s fiscal year ending Sept. 30, as revealed in the 2024 monthly performance report released late last week. A table below provides a closer look at how price and patronage interact on some services.

The money generated on trains that travel more than 750 miles (even if passengers aboard might not) is up sharply from 2019. Diminished capacity led to fewer riders on trains like the Texas Eagle, which operated with more sleeping car capacity (it had a transition sleeper) and additional coaches. The situation has recently been partially rectified [see “Amtrak adds to Texas Eagle capacity …,” Trains News Wire, July 29, 2024]. Southwest Chief patronage suffered because, until recently, it was routinely assigned only two Superliner coaches when the train previously had three or four in peak season. On the other hand, the Capitol Limited’s expansion of coach and sleeping car capacity between 2023 and 2024 paid immediate dividends. Another success story is Auto Train, the only long-distance train that maintained daily frequencies throughout the pandemic. It capitalized on higher gas prices in 2023 but marginally lost clientele in 2024 when gas prices retreated.

Added frequencies create exponential ridership gains

Hands-on management and a reliable funding commitment at the state level have allowed Virginia, North Carolina, and Maine to actively promote their service and add round trips. Price reductions coupled with more Virginia-sponsored frequencies to Norfolk and Roanoke have resulted in sustained growth, while additional Piedmonts between Raleigh and Charlotte, N.C., have made the service more relevant. Both Wisconsin’s Hiawathas and California’s Pacific Surfliner were among the operations hurt by a change in commuting patterns; landslide disruptions on the route to San Diego also injected cancellations. But the introduction of the Borealis as an extension to one of the Hiawatha round trips, providing an extra frequency on the previously once-daily Empire Builder route to the Twin Cities helped counteract that shortfall.

Capacity, frequency yields dividends

The complete document available on Amtrak’s website contains a variety of other “route level results.”

The table below, derived from that section, shows that a key factor in the Northeast Corridor’s strong performance is how the number of train starts grew from fiscal 2023 to 2024 (comparable data was not provided in the 2019 report). This was accomplished by introducing quick terminal turns with push-pull equipment for Northeast Regional trains and squeezing more departures out of an Acela fleet in which trainsets have been permanently sidelined. The small increases in the other categories were the result of Amtrak’s belated return to daily operation of some long-distance trains in the fall of 2022, and more Cascades, Piedmont, and Virginia round trips.

Also note the relationship between length of trips and frequencies. The Northeast Corridor’s 24,530 trains produced 2.5 billion passenger-miles while the long-distance network generated about 2.2 billion passenger miles with 13,047 fewer departures. Meanwhile, state-supported service delivered the fewest passenger-miles with almost 70% of the trains. While all these numbers may make eyes glaze over, they show the ways beyond ridership and revenue that Amtrak’s network can be valued.

Well, we did it!! Citizen advocacy paid off and we finally have our 2nd Twin Cities to Chicago train, the Borealis. Since All Aboard Minnesota’s inception, we have worked with you, our members and friends, to get this service started and to make your voices heard. The Minnesota Legislature fully funded the Borealis and the state share for the Twin Cities to Duluth service – Northern Lights Express (NLX). Several legislators credited the voices from AAMN and the Great River Rail Commission in turning the tide towards more rail passenger service.

Our work has continued in earnest this year, with investment in expanding our social media platforms to reach new audiences. Additionally, we’ve met with mayors, city councils, business organizations and other leaders on the St. Paul to Fargo/Moorhead corridor to extend the Borealis on a daytime schedule. We’ve met with more than 35 of these civic and business leaders, all of whom recognize and support the need for more rail passenger service in this corridor.

With the success of the Borealis, we believe the time is now for more expansion. At the time of this writing, there have been more than 120,000 riders since May (two thirds of them in the Milwaukee to St. Paul corridor alone) In addition to extending the Borealis to Fargo/Moorhead on a daytime schedule, we believe that service from the Twin Cities to Kansas City through southern Minnesota and Des Moines would greatly benefit our region. We project that 190,000 riders would patronize this route, offering connections to the Amtrak network serving Denver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

We are grateful for your past contributions, and we ask for your continued support. This work takes volunteer time and money. If you are inspired by the accomplishments to date, and what we can do together to further expand passenger rail in our region, please consider making an end-of-year contribution to propel our mission forward.

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, and best wishes in 2025.

Recently, Brian Nelson from All Aboard Minnesota was contacted by the StarTribune, the Minnesota News Network, and KVRR TV News in Fargo ND on the possibility of extending the Borealis Twin Cities to Chicago train to Fargo/Moorhead through St. Cloud, which is the same route as the Empire Builder. Extending the Borealis on a daytime schedule to Fargo/Moorhead is a service All Aboard Minnesota has been advocating and educating on for some time. Also, there is a lot of on line community support. We hope the success of the Borealis will enable its extension on this important corridor serving Minnesota and North Dakota. The stories are posted here:

StarTribune Borealis Story

Minnesota News Network Borealis Interview

KVRR TV Fargo ND

Now is your chance! MnDOT is in the process of updating the Minnesota State Rail Passenger Plan and is seeking input from the public. See their email and links for input below. All Aboard Minnesota is actively educating and advocating for extending the Borealis on a daytime schedule to Fargo/Moorhead on the current Empire Builder route through St. Cloud, and new service from the Twin Cities to Kansas City through southern Minnesota and Des Moines. These two routes alone would serve about 70% of the states population (50 mile radius of each route) and provide significant east-west and north-south connections for Minnesotans. Please support us in our advocacy for these routes with your input. Thank you for your time and participation!

MnDOT Email -

The MN State Rail Plan needs your input Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Minnesota State Rail Plan update process thus far. We still need your input! The Minnesota State Rail Plan addresses a variety of topics important to the future of rail including safety, economic development and possible expansion of passenger rail. With more than 4,000 miles of freight and passenger rail lines in the state, the MSRP provides an overall vision for future development of the rail system and identifies priority rail corridors. Take our passenger rail survey Our current survey focuses on passenger rail with a goal of understanding needs for improved connectivity, safety and sustainability. Your input is critical to ensuring that the Minnesota State Rail Plan reflects the needs and priorities of our communities. By taking this survey, you will have a direct hand in crafting a transportation system that serves the needs of Minnesotans and shapes the future of passenger rail in Minnesota. How to participate Visit the project webpage: talk.dot.state.mn.us/state-rail-plan Complete the survey: It will take approximately 10 minutes of your time Subscribe to State Rail Plan email updates to participate in future public meetings or events More information To learn more, visit the plan webpage at: talk.dot.state.mn.us/state-rail-plan.

We have just learned that the 2nd Train to Chicago will begin May 21, 2024! This is the first new passenger train service Minnesota has seen since the discontinuation of the North Star passenger train to Duluth in 1985! The new train is named "Borealis" and is available for booking on Amtrak's website.

This new daily dedicated passenger train will originate at St. Paul Union Depot and departs at 11:50am and will arrive in Chicago at 7:14pm. Westbound, the new train will depart Chicago at 11:05am, and arrive at St. Paul Union Depot at 6:29pm. It serves the same route as the Empire Builder.

This schedule compliments the existing Amtrak long distance Empire Builder train which departs St. Paul eastbound for Chicago at 8:50am and arrives in Chicago at 4:45pm. Westbound, the Empire Builder departs Chicago at 3:05pm and arrives in St. Paul, MN at 10:56pm. The Borealis schedule is approximately 30 minutes faster than the Empire Builder in both directions.

This is a huge deal for Minnesotans, and it's something All Aboard Minnesota has worked towards for the past ten years! Citizen advocacy has paid off in this instance, and we thank all of our members and friends who have spoken out to local and state officials to make this happen! We also sincerely thank our state legislators to provide funding for this service and begin building out multi-modal transportation choices for Minnesotans.

We need to make the Borealis a success, as it will lead to more service around the state and connecting us to the upper Midwest we strongly believe. Tell your neighbors, friends, family, and anyone else you can think of! This is an exciting event and development for our transportation future and increasing passenger rail travel options.

There will be an event at St. Paul Union Depot for the first run and we will keep you posted with details. Join us for the first departure at St. Paul Union Depot! Several of us plan to be there at approximately 10:30am to give the first run a great send off!

Additionally, All Aboard Minnesota is actively promoting the new service with notifications, Press Releases, Podcasts, Facebook posts, a new video, and more. Stay tuned and we will keep you posted on the success of this train.

Thank you again for all of your help and support. Most importantly, on your next trip to Wisconsin and/or Illinois, ride this new train if you possibly can!

This invitation from MnDOT below provides AAMN members with an opportunity to attend meetings to discuss the update of the State Rail Plan. Please consider attending one of the meetings and expressing your support for AAMN Passenger rail priorities, including:

• Getting the 2nd train to Chicago underway

• Studying the extension of the 2nd train to Fargo/Moorhead

• Implementing the NLX to Duluth

• Including the Twin Cities - Des Moines-Kansas City Route and other Long distance routes proposed by the FRA in the State Rail Plan

• including new proposed corridor routes from Chicago & Eau Claire

Thanks for your support of Passenger Rail and your membership in AAMN!

AAMN Board of Directors

Legislation has been introduced this session to license Railroad Police Officers as Peace Officers in Minnesota. All Aboard Minnesota strongly supports this legislation, we urge you to contact your legislator and the Governor's office to ask for their support. We have sent letters to Rep. Hornstein, Speaker Hortman, the Governor, and have copied MnDOT and Amtrak Government Affairs.

Here is the letter we sent to Governor Walz:

Dear Governor Walz:

We urge you to support HF 1718/SF1786, which authorizes railroad police as peace officers. In November of 2023, we reported crime and other problematic issues at St. Paul Union Depot which were documented by an Amtrak employee at that time and reports from our members and friends. We believe these issues are ongoing. Making railroad police licensed peace officers is integral to keeping tracks safe from obstructions and vandalism as well as protecting passengers.

With over half of Minnesota police departments understaffed and increasing amounts of passenger rail that are planned for Minnesota, the need for officers to protect the rail network from crime and vandalism and promote safety has grown. This legislation comes at no extra cost in dollar or resources to the state, counties, or cities. For these reasons we ask that you support HF 1718/SF 1786. We all have worked hard to bring more passenger rail in Minnesota, and you have been instrumental in making that happen. We believe that rail passengers must have a safe experience and we believe this bill can assure that will happen.

The Police Chief of Winona, home of an Amtrak station, states, “Our department has had the opportunity to work directly with the railroad police and have found them to be extremely courteous, professional, and welltrained. As a local law enforcement agency, we would also welcome the additional resources of the railroad police to assist us with police response and equipment.” Every state in the US that hosts passenger trains has allowed for licensed railroad peace officers, except Minnesota. It is time for Minnesota to add this essential element of rail safety.

In this issue:

• FRA Reveals Proposed New Long Distance Routes- see map below
• Amtrak Issues RFP for Long Distance Equipment
• 2nd Twin Cities-Chicago Train Update
• St. Paul Union Train Days June 1-2

1. FRA Reveals Proposed New Long Distance Routes

On Feb 14, the FRA revealed in the third stakeholder meeting (AAMN is part of the stakeholder group), their Proposed Network of Preferred Routes. The study is for the proposed resumption of long distance routes only that were run by Amtrak but since discontinued, non-daily long distance routes (Cardinal and Sunset), and routes that ran prior to Amtrak's creation in 1971.

The FRA studied traffic flow patterns between urban and rural areas to determine where routes should be added to the current long distance system for geographic regions that are not served by rail passenger service today. To evaluate the range of route options, four major categories of criteria were used:

1. Metro Travel Flows
2. Rural Access
3. Overall Geographic Coverage
4. Stakeholder Input

For Minnesota and the Upper Mid-West, this proposed network of preferred routes has some major implications. Twin Cities to Denver was identified as a major market travel flow, along with Twin Cities to the Southwest and Texas.

The FRA proposed new long distance routes for Minnesota and the Upper Mid-West Include:

1. Restoration of the North Coast Hiawatha from Chicago to Seattle, routing through Minnesota (current Empire Builder route) southern North Dakota and Montana (route of Northern Pacific's North Coast Limited).

2. Twin Cities to San Antonio Texas, routing through Albert Lea, MN, Des Moines, IA, Kansas City, MO Tulsa, OK, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.

3. Twin Cities to Phoenix, AZ, routing through Sioux Falls, SD, Omaha, NE, Kansas City, MO, Newton, KS, Albuquerque, NM, Flagstaff, AZ

4. Twin Cities to Denver, routing through Sioux Falls, and Pierre, SD, Cheyenne, WY

​​​​

All Aboard Minnesota applauds the FRA's innovative thinking to serve currently underserved regions of the country, especially in the West and Upper-Midwest. In total, 15 new and restored routes are proposed. If implemented, they would add 23,000 more long distance route miles, serve 19M more people across the country and serve 89% of the total US population.

This is a major step, but a first step only. Holistic service plans for all these routes will need to be conducted, and the timeline for implementation for any of these routes is at least 10 years or more away.

The next steps are to conduct the final stakeholder meeting in late May, in which the FRA will reveal their modeling of costs and benefits of the proposed routes, implementation schedules, and present the final long distance study recommendation. After this meeting, the final report will be submitted to Congress. This is the first major plan the FRA has conducted for restoration and addition of new long distance routes and is an exciting step. We will keep you posted as the study and final recommendations evolve.

The FRA is soliciting feedback through March 8, so please provide your thoughts. Here is a link to the FRA Long Distance Study Website where you can provide feedback and read the Stakeholder Meeting Materials;

FRA Long Distance Study

2. Amtrak Issues Long Distance Equipment RFP - But There are Concerns

In December 2023, Amtrak issued an RFP to replace equipment for long-distance trains, some of which has been in service since 1979. While we applaud this move, we are concerned that the number of out of service cars for long distance trains is now at an all time high. For example, the Empire Builder continues to run one coach short compared to pre-Covid consists. Many other long distance trains are running with reduced consists also, limiting ridership and revenue potential.

Amtrak has announced that it has recently spent $28M on long distance equipment, but this is largely a cosmetic refresh. Many Superliner 1 (the equipment delivered 1979-81) and Viewliner 1 cars need major mechanical overhauls to keep operating reliably. New long distance equipment delivery at the earliest is 8-10 years away, and we are concerned that more cars could be taken out of service, which could threaten daily service on long distance routes.

AAMN has met with Minnesota's US Congressional Delegation to voice these concerns and ask for the US Congress to hold Amtrak management accountable to run the long distance network properly.

James Tilley, President, Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, recently addressed a letter to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia outlining some recommendations on how Amtrak can keep the current fleet viable until new equipment arrives.

Click here to read his letter: Tilley Letter


3. 2nd Twin Cities to Chicago Train Update

AAMN recently learned that the operating agreements between Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Amtrak, and Canadian Pacific Railway are being negotiated and are possibly nearing completion, which is great news! WisDot announced at at Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers meeting in early February that the service will be called the "Borealis". Contacts at Amtrak have told us that the 2nd train will begin operation with refurbished Horizon equipment. Having recently ridden a corridor train with this type of equipment, we can definitely state that it was quite comfortable and attractive. All Aboard Minnesota will stay on top of this developing situation. Once we know when service begins we will publicize the start date and plan to be on-site at St. Paul Union Depot for the first run! Stay Tuned! ​

4. St. Paul Union Depot Train Days, June 1-2

St. Paul Union Depot will be hosting Train Days on June 1-2, 10am-4pm both days. AAMN will be there and we would love it if you could stop by and talk with us. Share your recent Amtrak experiences, and your thoughts on passenger rail developments in Minnesota. We will certainly share our thoughts with you!

The event is posted on our website with a full description on the Events Page