Chicago’s Amtrak Borealis Route Proves Train Travel Is Back

A new rail line starting in Chicago is so popular that there is a belief online that Americans (or at least folks in the Midwest) want to travel by train.

Today was the first I have heard of what Amtrak called the Amtrak Borealis.

The Amtrak Borealis starts in Chicago and goes to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Fast Company says "thousands of passengers have taken the trip," and ridership has "exceeded Amtrak's expectations."

The travel website goes on to share that trains in both directions, from Minneapolis and Chicago, average about 300 passengers each way, meaning that the cars have been at total capacity.

It's not like the Minneapolis-St. Paul to Chicago and vice versa route is new to Amtrak, but there are 11 stops in between.

Here are the stops starting in Chicago at Union Station:

• Glenview, IL
• Sturtevant, WI
• Milwaukee, WI (Mitchell Airport)
• Milwaukee, WI (Intermodal Station)
• Columbus, WI
• Portage, WI
• Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Tomah, WI
• LaCrosse, WI
• Winona, MN
• Red Wing, MN (Union Depot)

The train makes its final stop in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then it heads back to Chicago.

The remarkable thing about this route is that Amtrak runs it not just once but twice a day. And here was the kicker for me: It's about seven and a half hours by train from Chicago's Union Station to Union Depot in St. Paul-Minneapolis.

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How long is a car ride from Chicago to St. Paul-Minneapolis? Seven and a half hours.

What if you could sit in a reclining chair, have Wi-Fi access, and have a dining car instead of driving? Would you take it?

The answer is evident and might explain why Amtrak's Borealis is so famous.

Have you taken a ride on the Borealis? What do you think?