More than 18,500 passengers rode Amtrak’s new Borealis line between Chicago and St. Paul, Minnesota, with several Wisconsin stops including two in Milwaukee, during its first full month of service, Amtrak reported Monday.
The Borealis service launched in late May. It provides a second daily train between Chicago and Twin Cities in addition to the Empire Builder route, which runs from Chicago to Seattle. The train stops in downtown Milwaukee and at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.
“Amtrak and our state partners have always believed the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor was a great one with tremendous opportunity,” said Ray Lang, vice president, Amtrak State Supported Service. “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. With strong college and university markets on this route, we are confident Borealis will continue to perform well when students and staff travel in greater numbers this fall.”
“Borealis marks the first passenger rail service expansion in Wisconsin in 22 years and people are responding,” said Craig Thompson, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). “The initial data is promising and reflects the hard work done by WisDOT, our partner states and Amtrak to bring this service to the people of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. We’re hopeful the more people that ride Borealis and like it, the more successful it will be.”
