Morning departure from St. Paul.  Winona 110 minutes away, Chicago another 514. A bit faster than the existing Empire Builder schedule.

Pitch to travelers: Beats driving, environment friendly

WINONA, Minn. – With consists of five coaches each, two new Amtrak passenger trains connecting St. Paul and Chicago departed their respective end-points on their inaugural journey. Ribbon-cutting ceremonies marked the event at Winona and 10 other intermediate points. At the St. Paul send-off, Ramsey County Commissioner Trista Martinson told a crowd that the Borealis will reduce car travel by 580,000 miles. “This is huge for our environment,” she said. The Borealis is the first regional train on the corridor since.1981 when Amtrak dropped its North Star for ridership issues. Without the North Star, only the premium Empire Builder to the West Coast plied the route. Unlike the federally funded Empire Builder. the Borealis has financial support from the states of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Ribbon-cutting. Mayor Scott Sherman has scissors in hand to welcome the arrival of the first Borealis.