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Borealis (train)

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Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago
A Hiawatha Service train in Milwaukee; one roundtrip will be extended to St. Paul
Overview
Service typeInter-city rail
StatusPlanned
LocaleMidwestern United States
PredecessorTwin Cities Hiawatha, Twin Cities 400, Viking
First service2024 (planned)[1]
Current operator(s)Amtrak
Route
TerminiChicago, Illinois
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Stops11
Distance travelled417 mi (671 km)
Average journey time7 hours, 20 minutes
Service frequencyDaily
Train number(s)333, 340
On-board services
Class(es)Coach Class
Disabled accessAll cars, all stations
Baggage facilitiesOverhead racks
Technical
Rolling stockSiemens Charger
Siemens Venture
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed54 mph (87 km/h) (avg.)
79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)CPKC, Metra

The Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) service, unofficially referred to as Great River or Borealis, is a planned Amtrak intercity passenger train that will operate daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, via Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Service is expected to begin in 2024 under the Amtrak Midwest brand.

The train will supplement the long-distance Empire Builder, serving the same stations but with higher reliability and complimentary departure times. As an extension of an existing Chicago–Milwaukee Hiawatha Service train, the TCMC train will double Amtrak service frequency between Milwaukee and Saint Paul.

Background

Originally, the Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) Corridor was operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and the C&NW. The Milwaukee Road ran numerous passenger trains from Chicago to St. Paul and beyond including the famous Twin Cities Hiawatha and Olympian Hiawatha. Likewise the C&NW's Twin Cities 400 and Viking services which ran through Eau Claire and Madison respectively, unlike the Hiawathas which used the current Mississippi River routing. When Amtrak took over intercity passenger trains in 1971, only the Empire Builder continued serving the corridor. For a time, the North Coast Hiawatha served this route as well.

As of December 2021, the Empire Builder continues to run daily, while the Hiawatha service runs seven additional round trips per day between Chicago and Milwaukee.[2]

The TCMC project began in 2015 after the conclusion of a feasibility report by Amtrak.[3] Based on the favorable ridership and revenue projections MnDOT led a Phase 1 study in cooperation with WisDOT, IDOT, the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority and the FRA to analyze service alternatives, infrastructure upgrades and anticipated costs. The Phase 2 study was led by WisDOT to complete the environmental review and prepare a Service Development Plan.[4] Schedule delays from Seattle to St. Paul have been cited as part of the interest in having a reliable departure time from St.Paul.[5][6]

Infrastructure upgrades for the project are required in La Crosse, La Crescent, Winona and St. Paul. The total capital cost is $53.3 million, which has been fully funded by federal grants, WisDOT and MnDOT.[7][8] The project is scheduled to begin construction in 2023 and begin operations with one train in 2023.[9] The TCMC service is anticipated to be the first phase of additional Amtrak service across Wisconsin with eventual extensions to Madison and Eau Claire.

In a public meeting on December 1, 2022, an Amtrak representative stated that the service was expected to start by summer 2023 with the name Great River, after the Mississippi River (Misi-ziibi means "Great River" in Ojibwe).[10] A paper by the Wisconsin Legislature's Legislative Fiscal Bureau, published on June 6, 2023, for the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance, estimated that service would start in September 2023, with related construction to improve service beginning in early 2024 and ending in mid-to-late 2025.[11] However, in fall 2023 the estimated start date of the train slipped to 2024.[1]

In December 2023, the FRA accepted the Chicago–La Crosse–St. Paul route into its Corridor Identification and Development Program. The move grants $500,000 toward studying additional frequency on the route, and prioritizes the corridor for future federal funding.[12]

In a February 2024 update, WisDOT announced that the service would be named the Borealis instead of the Great River, and that the train would use refurbished Horizon railcars.[13] However, the new name for the service was retracted within 24-hours of its announcement.[14]

Operation

The TCMC train is planned to make 13 total stops from Chicago to St. Paul. Westbound, the journey will take 7 hours and 11 minutes, while it will take 7 hours 27 minutes eastbound. Each direction, the train will have a 5 minute stop in Milwaukee.[15]

The train will be not be a completely new service, but will rather extend an existing Hiawatha Service train from Milwaukee to St. Paul and back. The trains that will be extended are numbers 333 and 340. Train 333 will depart Chicago at 11:05 am and arrive St. Paul at 6:16 pm. Train 340 will depart St. Paul at 11:47 am and arrive in Chicago at 7:14 pm.[15] An eventual re-route through Madison is in the long term plans for the TCMC route.[citation needed] This change in routing would likely follow the Wisconsin & Southern Watertown Subdivision and Canadian Pacific Kansas City's M&P Subdivision bypassing the Columbus station which has been considered the Madison stop along the route.

Ridership is projected to be 124,000 passengers per year in 2024.[7]

An extension of the route to Target Field station in Minneapolis, Fridley, and St. Cloud has been considered.[16]

Route and stops

State Town/City Station Connections
Illinois Chicago Chicago Union Station Amtrak: Blue Water, Cardinal, Carl Sandburg, Capitol Limited, California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service, Illini, Illinois Zephyr, Lake Shore Limited, Lincoln Service, Pere Marquette, Saluki, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Wolverine, Amtrak Thruway
CTA Buses: 1, 7, 14, 19, 20, X20, X28, 56, 60, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 151, 156, 157, 192
Megabus: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, M7
Flixbus
Metra: BNSF Line, Heritage Corridor, Milwaukee District North Line, Milwaukee District West Line, North Central Service, SouthWest Service
Glenview Glenview Amtrak: Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service
Metra: Milwaukee District North Line
Pace: 210, 422, 423
Wisconsin Sturtevant Sturtevant Amtrak: Hiawatha Service
Milwaukee Milwaukee Airport Amtrak: Hiawatha Service
Amtrak Thruway
Milwaukee Intermodal Station Amtrak: Empire Builder, Hiawatha Service
Amtrak Thruway
Badger Bus
Greyhound Lines
Indian Trails
Jefferson Lines
Lamers Bus Lines
Megabus
Tornado Bus Company
Wisconsin Coach Lines
The Hop: M Line
MCTS Buses: Blue Line, 12, 31, 34, 57
Columbus Columbus Amtrak: Empire Builder
Van Galder (Coach USA)
Portage Portage Amtrak: Empire Builder
Van Galder (Coach USA)
Wisconsin Dells Wisconsin Dells Amtrak: Empire Builder
Tomah Tomah Amtrak: Empire Builder
La Crosse La Crosse Amtrak: Empire Builder
Minnesota Winona Winona Amtrak: Empire Builder
Red Wing Red Wing Amtrak: Empire Builder
St. Paul St. Paul Union Depot Amtrak: Empire Builder
Amtrak Thruway
Greyhound Lines
Jefferson Lines
Megabus
Metro Transit: Metro Green Line; Buses 3, 21, 54, 63, 70, 94
Minnesota Valley Transit Authority Buses: 480, 484, 489

References

  1. ^ a b "Wisconsin Department of Transportation Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Service". wisconsindot.gov. Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "Amtrak Tickets, Schedules and Train Routes".
  3. ^ "2nd Train Feasibility Report" (PDF). state.mn.us. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Service - MnDOT".
  5. ^ Sandler, Larry (February 17, 2023). "Expanded Milwaukee-Twin Cities Amtrak service may start later this year". WisBUsiness.
  6. ^ Vinick, Gaby (February 23, 2023). "All aboard: New service line between Milwaukee, St. Paul, Chicago could be available as soon as late 2023". Wisconsin Public Radio.
  7. ^ a b "TMCM Booklet" (PDF). wisconsindot.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ^ Ferraro, Nick (June 28, 2021). "State moves forward with second daily Amtrak train to Chicago. Service could begin in 2024". Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
  9. ^ "Wisconsin Department of Transportation Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Service".
  10. ^ "Amtrak® Board of Directors Public Meeting – Attendee Q&A" (PDF). Amtrak. December 1, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Horton, Ryan (June 6, 2023). "Paper #778 - Passenger Rail Operations Assistance" (PDF).
  12. ^ Jannene, Jeramey (December 6, 2023). "Wisconsin Wins Grants To Study Five New or Expanded Rail Routes". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  13. ^ "Quarter 1, 2024 Newsletter". allaboardminnesota.org. All Aboard Minnsota. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Weisser, Ian (February 29, 2024). "It's still called TCMC for a little longer". Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Twin Cities - Milwaukee - Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Project Public Presentation". YouTube. Wisconsin DOT.
  16. ^ "Feasibility Report on Proposed Amtrak Service Chicago-Milwaukee-LaCrosse-Twin Cities-(St. Cloud)" (PDF). Amtrak.
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