Amtrak to add second daily train between Twin Cities and Chicago, via Milwaukee
A second daily Amtrak service between the Twin Cities and Chicago, via Milwaukee, has been added.
The new state-sponsored Borealis trains will start from St. Paul at midday and from Chicago in the late morning. The additional service starts on May 21, Amtrak announced Wednesday.
Amtrak Borealis coach fares start at $41 each way between St. Paul and Chicago for adults, with discounts for children ages 2 to 12, students, seniors, veterans, military personnel and families, groups and others. Borealis trains will offer coach and business class as well as free Wi-Fi and a cafe car featuring regional items.
The trains, with daylight views of the Mississippi River, will make the current Empire Builder stops between the Twin Cities and Milwaukee and the Hiawatha stops between Milwaukee and Chicago.
The Empire Builder links Chicago and Seattle/Portland, Ore., via the Twin Cities. The daily eastbound train stops at St. Paul’s Union Depot around 8 in the morning, and the daily westbound train stops at Union Depot around 10 in the evening.
“A second daily passenger rail service connecting St. Paul to Chicago via Milwaukee is a welcome addition to our transportation system, providing more choices and travel flexibility for passengers,” Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger said in an Amtrak statement Wednesday. “We appreciate our partnerships with communities, federal, state and local governments, the host railroad CPKC, and Amtrak that were needed to get this service on-track, and to provide another safe, reliable transportation option. We look forward to continuing these partnerships as we work toward further building out passenger rail options in the Midwest.”
The new Borealis service is sponsored by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Amtrak now operates 29 state-supported routes with 18 state partners.
For more information, go to amtrak.com.
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