Ridership is exceeding expectations for the state-sponsored Borealis train service between St. Paul and Chicago launched in May 2024, according to Amtrak.
[Above photo by Wisconsin DOT]
Operated daily by Amtrak under contracts with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and Illinois Department of Transportation, Borealis ridership for the 11 months ending April 30 totaled more than 205,800 passengers.
Concurrently, total daily ridership for the new St. Paul-Chicago corridor, which includes daily service by Amtrak’s Borealis and Empire Builder trains, reached more than 293,000 – up 227 percent from May 2024 through April 2025 when compared with May 2023 through April 2024.
“Amtrak is proud to celebrate a successful first year of the Borealis – and it’s only going to improve next year and beyond,” said Roger Harris, president of Amtrak, in a statement. “Thanks to strong collaboration with our partners, we have exceeded expectations and provided a reliable, efficient, and safe way to travel between the Twin Cities and Chicago via Milwaukee.”
“One year ago, we introduced a new, state-funded, intercity passenger rail service to Minnesota [and] we are happy to share that the service has exceeded so many of our expectations, with ridership surpassing projections,” noted Nancy Daubenberger, commissioner of the Minnesota DOT.
“[We are] proud to celebrate this milestone moment for passenger rail in our state,” said Kristina Boardman, secretary of the Wisconsin DOT. “When the Borealis launched in May 2024, it was the first passenger rail service expansion in Wisconsin in more than two decades. The train has since become a resounding success story – and the ridership data reflects that.”
“The demand for convenient, reliable passenger rail in Illinois always has been strong, but the early success of the Borealis line shows that appetite extends beyond our borders and throughout the Midwest,” added Gia Biagi, acting secretary for the Illinois DOT. “We look forward to working with our partner states on ways to strengthen service in the years ahead and explore future opportunities to offer more travel options for our residents and visitors.”
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