New Borealis train service from St. Paul to Chicago surpasses expectations with 18,500 riders in the first month

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers today joined the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) in celebrating preliminary figures released by Amtrak that show the new Borealis train between St. Paul and Chicago saw 18,500 riders in just its first month of service. According to Amtrak, that is an average of about 300 passengers aboard each of the eastbound and westbound trains operated daily by Amtrak under contracts with Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois. In celebration of this positive milestone, WisDOT released a video highlighting the impact and efforts to make this rail expansion possible.

“We knew this expanded service line would go a long way for travelers and commuters alike, and it’s great to see this investment and this hard work is paying off,” said Gov. Evers. “This is a critical part of our efforts to build the infrastructure Wisconsin needs to meet the demands of the 21st century, and I look forward to several exciting rail projects in the future as we work to build the multimodal transportation system for our state’s future.” ...