Amtrak is expanding service between Chicago and Minnesota via Milwaukee – and tickets are now available for a second daily train.
The new state-sponsored Borealis trains leave from St. Paul, Minnesota at midday and from Chicago in the late morning. The trains will make the current Empire Builder stops between St. Paul and Milwaukee and Hiawatha stops between Milwaukee and Chicago.
The new service is sponsored by the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Amtrak now operates 29 state-supported routes with 18 state partners.
“This route includes eight stations in Wisconsin, and doubling the frequency of the service will better connect the many businesses, universities and tourist attractions along this corridor,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said in a statement. “This expansion is thanks to the work WisDOT was able to do together with Minnesota, Illinois and Amtrak, as well as the opportunities provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. We will continue to work with federal and state partners to explore more passenger rail options in Wisconsin.”
Coach fares start at $41 each way between St. Paul and Chicago for adults, with every day discounts for children ages 2-12, students, seniors, veterans, military personnel and families, groups and others.
In addition to expanded service, a series of infrastructure improvements are coming to the 411-mile corridor over the next two years.
A $31.8 million federal grant was announced last year to fund the $53 million TCMC line. The states and Amtrak are covering the remainder, with the states also sponsoring the line’s operation.
Planned projects include improvements to a rail yard and the addition of a second mainline track in La Crosse, upgrades to the track in La Crescent, Minnesota that leads to a bridge over the Mississippi River, upgrades to a yard in La Crescent to create a second mainline track, siding improvements in Winona, Minnesota and improving Midway Station in St. Paul.
