Amtrak’s new St. Paul-Chicago route is on track to meet ridership expectations and, unusually for an intercity passenger rail service, is already profitable from the get-go.
Since its maiden voyage on May 21, Borealis has carried more than 18,500 passengers, roughly matching the 232,000 monthly passengers expected to use the service in its first year.
“The first month’s ridership numbers are a clear testament to the need for this line,” said Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “We are optimistic that ridership will continue to remain strong and that Borealis service will continue to provide a safe, sustainable and accessible transportation option for the foreseeable future.”
The Borealis train departs Union Station daily at 11:50 AM, stops in Red Wing and Winona, Minnesota, before making multiple stops in Wisconsin on its way to Chicago Union Station. The journey takes approximately 7.5 hours. The return trip leaves the Windy City at 11:05 AM, arriving in St. Paul at 6:29 PM.
Westbound trains departing Chicago averaged slightly more passengers, at 330, while eastbound trains averaged about 288, according to Amtrak.
Officials say the route from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee and Chicago has great potential and could draw even more riders as service matures. The line also serves several markets with colleges and universities and could draw students this fall, said Ray Lang, Amtrak’s vice president of state support services.
“Passenger numbers to date support our belief and we expect this trend to continue as the service matures and we approach the peak summer travel season,” he said.
Amtrak is riding a new wave of popularity after suffering a deep slump during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Amtrak CEO Steven Gardner told the House Transportation Committee last month that the railroad recorded its highest number of passengers ever in May and was on track to surpass its previous record of 32.3 million passengers in a single year, set in 2019.
The Empire Builder, another Amtrak line that serves the Twin Cities, is expected to see a 15% increase in ridership from fiscal year 2022 to fiscal year 2023. Ridership on the train, which runs from Chicago to the Twin Cities, Fargo-Moorhead and the Pacific Northwest cities of Portland and Seattle, is expected to grow from 303,500 to nearly 349,000 passengers between Oct. 1, 2022 and Sept. 30, 2023, Amtrak statistics show.
Borealis is operated under contract by Amtrak with the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. According to the railroad’s May monthly earnings report, more than 6,600 passengers rode the line in its first 11 days of operation. The report also said that Borealis generated $600,000 in revenue and spent $500,000 on operating expenses. The $100,000 profit made Borealis one of only two state-sponsored routes to report a profit. Amtrak has 30 state-sponsored routes.