Amtrak’s Borealis route gets $38M in federal funding boost to ensure service for next six years

Amtrak’s popular Borealis route between St. Paul and Chicago is getting a $38 million boost in federal funding to ensure the route is fully funded for the next six years.

The funding was secured by Rep. Betty McCollum through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

“The popularity of the Borealis is undeniable,” McCollum, who represents the Fourth Congressional District in Ramsey County and much of Washington County, said in a statement. “There’s been a groundswell of public interest in the Borealis, and I’m glad that the Department of Transportation is responding by doubling down on their investment in it.”

The route, which runs between St. Paul’s Union Depot and downtown Chicago, was launched in May after it was studied for 10 years and quickly gained popularity. In its first 22 weeks of service, the route reached a milestone of 100,000 riders. Projections from Amtrak showed the route could attract as many as 232,000 riders annually.

The additional funding will be used to support the first six years of the route’s operation and serve as a supplement to state funding it gets from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, which sponsor the line together.

The route currently operates once a day, but some have wondered if service should be ramped up to add a second trip given the route’s popularity.

“It would be premature for us to discuss adding a third train at this time,” said Anne Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, said in an interview late last year.

Borealis trains leave Union Depot at 11:50 a.m. seven days a week and stop in Red Wing and Winona in Minnesota before making multiple stops in Wisconsin on its way to Chicago’s Union Station. Trips take about 7½ hours. Return trips depart the Windy City at 11:05 a.m. and arrive in St. Paul at 6:29 p.m.

Tim Harlow of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.