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7/9/2024
Amtrak Borealis trains operating along the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor transported more than 18,500 riders in the first month of the new service.
That is an average of 300 passengers aboard each of the eastbound and westbound trains operated daily by Amtrak under contracts with the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois departments of transportation, according to an Amtrak press release.
The Borealis service, which operates between St. Paul, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Chicago, launched in May.
“The ridership numbers we have seen so far confirm our belief and we expect this trend to continue as the service matures and we head into the peak summer travel season," said Ray Lang, Amtrak's vice president of state-supported service.
With strong college and university markets on the route, Amtrak and the states' DOT officials are confident the service will continue to perform well when students and staff travel in greater numbers in fall, added Lang.
"The Borealis marks the first passenger rail service expansion in Wisconsin in 22 years and people are responding,” said Wisconsin DOT Secretary Craig Thompson.
Borealis trains originate from St. Paul at midday and from Chicago in the late morning.