200K+ ride Amtrak’s Borealis trains in first year

Amtrak and government officials are pleased with the number of passengers on the Borealis trains which celebrates its first year of service.

The route runs daily between Chicago and St. Paul.

Ridership numbers released by Amtrak showed that in the 11 months ending on April 30, more than 205,800 passengers made the trip.

When combined with the Empire Builder, Amtrak had more than 293,000 riders from May 2024 through April 2025.

It’s an increase of 227 percent from the previous year.

“One year ago, we introduced a new, state-funded, intercity passenger rail service to Minnesota. Today, we are happy to share that the service has exceeded so many of our expectations, with ridership surpassing projections,” said Minnesota Transportation Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “The ridership numbers clearly demonstrate the need to have safe, reliable transportation options for Minnesotans, and we hope to continue building on its early success.”

It hasn’t been a completely smooth ride for the Borealis trains. In late March, Amtrak found corrosion on some of the passenger cars used on the line. Buses were used to move passengers until replacement cars were brought in.

The replacement cars carried fewer passengers.

Before that, there were issues with cold weather freezing some of the water systems and doors on the cars. It led to cancellations of some of the trains.

The Borealis line makes stops in La Crosse, Winona, and Tomah.