New daily train service between Twin Cities and Chicago starts May 21

A new, long-promised second daily rail connection between the Twin Cities and Chicago will start operations on May 21.

The Borealis service will operate daily between the two major metro areas, making 11 stops along the way including in Red Wing, Winona, the Wisconsin Dells, and Milwaukee.

At 7 hours and 24 minutes, it's between 27 and 31 minutes quicker than the Empire Builder sleeper train, which up until May 21 was the only previous rail connection between the two cities, stopping in St. Paul on its long trip between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.

It also offers more convenient times for travelers particularly those departing Chicago. Currently the Empire Builder leaves Chicago at 3:05 p.m. and gets into St. Paul's Union Station just before 11 p.m.

The Borealis will leave Chicago at 11:05 a.m. and arrive in St. Paul at the much more reasonable time of 6:29 p.m.

Going from the Twin Cities to Chicago, the Empire Builder currently leaves at 8:50 a.m. and arrives at 4:45 p.m., the Borealis will leave at 11:50 a.m. and arrive at 7:14 p.m.

Here are the stops:

• St. Paul, MN
• Red Wing, MN
• Winona, MN
• La Crosse, WI
• Tomah, WI
• Wisconsin Dells, WI
• Portage, WI
• Columbus, WI
• Milwaukee, WI
• Milwaukee Airport, WI
• Sturtevant, WI
• Glenview, Il
• Chicago, Il

Funding for the new route was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2021 and signed by Gov. Tim Walz, providing $10 million to fund the second daily round-trip between the cities as part of a $7 billion omnibus transportation bill.

Additional funding came from a $32 million federal government grant, $6.2 million from the State of Wisconsin, and $5 million from Amtrak.

While it is still a longer journey by train to Chicago than by car, it offers a more relaxing setting for travelers looking to avoid the generally arduous six-hour road journey. The Borealis comes with a cafe car and WiFi on board, and with prices starting at $41 one-way for coach class on May 21, it appears to be much cheaper than the Empire Builder (which is showing $77 one-way).

Naturally flying remains the fastest way to get between the two cities, albeit that does expose travelers to O'Hare Airport whereas the Borealis drops travelers closer to downtown. Chicago Union Station is also a major hub for a variety of rail services to the East Coast, West Coast, Deep South, and Canada.