New Chicago-to-St. Paul Amtrak Line Makes Profit in First Months

A new Amtrak passenger rail line linking St. Paul, Minnesota and Chicago turned a profit in its first month of service, a rare feat for the agency. 

The Borealis line served over 18,500 passengers since it launched in May and took in $600,000 in revenue, writes Tim Harlow in the Star Tribune. The agency spent $500,000 on operations, making the Borealis one of two state-sponsored Amtrak lines (of a total of 30) to make a profit.

“Westbound trips out of Chicago saw slightly higher ridership with an average of 330 riders while eastbound trips carried about 288 passengers, according to Amtrak,” adds Harlow. “Officials say the Twin Cities-to-Milwaukee-to-Chicago route has high potential and could see even more passengers as the service matures. The line also serves several markets with colleges and universities, which could also attract students this fall, said Ray Lang, Amtrak's vice president of state-supported services.”

Other Amtrak routes also saw increases in ridership. “The Empire Builder, the other Amtrak route serving the Twin Cities, saw a 15% ridership growth from fiscal year 2022 to 2023. The train running from Chicago to the Twin Cities to Fargo-Moorhead and then to the Pacific Northwest cities of Portland and Seattle saw ridership rise from 303,500 to nearly 349,000 from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023, Amtrak figures show.”