Amtrak “Pleasantly Surprised” With New Train Route – Reaches 100k Riders
A new train route that launched this spring between Minnesota and Illinois has turned out to be a success, so much so, that expansion in being considered.
The Borealis train took its first passengers between St. Paul Union Depot, and Chicago's Union Station on May 21st, and just last week they hit the milestone of 100,000 riders.
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The passengers on the celebratory 100k train ride got complimentary refreshments and commemorative certificates, plus they were all given “100-Grand” candy bars.
The train is operated by Amtrak under contract with the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and this helps keeps the price for tickets low, coach tickets are as low as $41, and business class seat start at $98. I've read reviews from passengers that have traveled round-trip from for less than $150 for 2 people.
Amtrak President Roger Harris said in a press release about the historic milestone, "We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the excitement and ridership that the new service has created and couldn’t be prouder of our partnership. The number of full trains, even at mid-week on the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago corridor, is leading Amtrak and our state partners to look at how we can add capacity,”
Other state leaders in transportation also expressed interest in expanding the partnership and looking at ways to increase capacity, and "explore additional passenger rail opportunities.”
I have tried to book a trip on the Borealis train, but no seats were available, and this explains why. It's no surprise this is a popular route, it's very scenic with views of the Mississippi River, and most importantly, it's affordable.
The train features wide reclining seats, what Amtrak calls "ample legroom", no awkward middle seats, and riders can access free Wi-Fi.
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