CHICAGO — The Amtrak passenger train Borealis running via Winona between St. Paul and Chicago has far exceeded ridership expectations in its first year. As of May 1 the ridership had surpassed 205,800, Amtrak reported. This was despite interrupted service in early May when Amtrak canceled service briefly because passenger coaches were found unsafe and irreparable with corrosion. Even so, first year ridership surpassed the original feasibility projections of 125,000. Boardings and de-boardings in Winona totaled 11,372, according to Amtrak. The daily coach-only train — no sleepers – makes the total 411-mile run in 7-1/2 hours. Meanwhile, ridership also has grown on Amtrak’s second train that serves Winona — the daily Empire Builder from Chicago to the West Coast. With 293,000 passengers, the Empire Builder carried 230% more people than the previous year, Amtrak reported.
Earlier: Amtrak’s rusting Borealis rolling stock to scrapyard
Earlier: Borealis back on tracks, now odd-looking
Earlier: Daily Borealis trains sidetracked as unsafe