Introducing Amtrak Borealis trains with Expanded Service between St. Paul and Chicago via Milwaukee

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2. Even Amtrak was surprised by the instant popularity of its new Chicago-Twin Cities route

Hat tip, someone on a group listserv

07-10-2024
IMPACT

Even Amtrak was surprised by the instant popularity of its new Chicago-Twin Cities route
The success of the new Amtrak Borealis bodes well for other regional train routes.


[Photo: Amtrak]

BY KRISTIN TOUSSAINT
4 MINUTE READ

The Amtrak Borealis, a new rail line connecting Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul, has only been operating for about a month, but already thousands of passengers have taken the trip. That ridership has exceeded Amtrak’s expectations—and hints at the growing desire among Americans to travel by train.

Amtrak’s Borealis launched on May 21. In June, the line’s first full month of service, it saw more than 18,500 riders. That averages about 300 passengers a day, in each direction. That’s close to maximum capacity, though because not every passenger rides the full length of the route, Amtrak can sell the same seat multiple times, which makes counting total capacity a bit tricky. Trains are also resizable, so Amtrak could add more capacity over time, if the contracts and equipment availability allow.

That total ridership exceeded Amtrak’s forecasts—which Ray Lang, vice president of Amtrak State Supported Service, says were already “very optimistic”—by 2,900 passengers. “What that really means,” he adds, “is that there’s a strong demand for short-distance corridor trains in the United States to provide that transportation option for travelers that don’t want to drive or fly.”


Borealis train leaving Chicago [Photo: Guo Rui Pei/Flickr]

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[Screenshot: Amtrak]

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