A new Amtrak service will soon run between Chicago and St. Paul, Minnesota, adding additional trains to the route.
The new Borealis service will offer a daily trip between Chicago, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities, Amtrak said Wednesday. Service will begin May 21.
The route is currently served by Hiawatha trains, which run multiple times a day between Chicago and Milwaukee, and the Empire Builder, a daily long distance train that runs between Chicago and the Pacific Northwest via the Twin Cities. The Borealis service will replace one of the Hiawatha trains and supplement the Empire Builder, and make all existing stops on each route, Amtrak said.
Borealis trains heading west will leave Chicago shortly after 11 a.m., and those heading east will leave St. Paul shortly before noon. Regular fares for the full length of the route begin at $41 each way, Amtrak said, and passengers are expected to be able to access free Wi-Fi. Timetables show the train will make the trip between the Twin Cities and Chicago in about 7.5 hours.
The route is funded by Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Illinois has committed to paying 30% of the cost to operate the service, and Minnesota and Wisconsin will each pay 35%, IDOT spokeswoman Maria Castaneda said. For the first five years of the service a federal grant will also cover varying levels of the cost, she said, meaning Illinois’ share of costs in the first year — when the grant covers the highest share — will be $300,000.