Borealis (train)

Borealis

The westbound Borealis at Red Wing station in May 2024
Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Operating
Locale	Midwestern United States
Predecessor	Twin Cities Hiawatha, Twin Cities 400, Viking Twin Zephyr
First service	May 21, 2024 (2024-05-21)[1]
Current operator(s)	Amtrak
Route
Termini	Chicago, Illinois Saint Paul, Minnesota
Stops	11
Distance travelled	411 mi (661 km)[2]
Average journey time	7 hours, 20 minutes
Service frequency	Once daily
Train number(s)	1333, 1340
On-board services
Class(es)	Coach Class Business Class
Disabled access	Yes
Catering facilities	Café
Baggage facilities	Overhead racks
Technical
Rolling stock	GE Genesis Siemens Charger Horizon coaches Amfleet café
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed	54 mph (87 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)	CPKC, Metra
Route map Legend Empire Builder 410 mi 660 km Saint Paul 371 mi 597 km Red Wing 308 mi 496 km Winona Mississippi River MN WI 281 mi 452 km La Crosse 240 mi 386 km Tomah 195 mi 314 km Wisconsin Dells 178 mi 286 km Portage 150 mi 241 km Columbus 85 mi 137 km Milwaukee 78 mi 126 km Milwaukee Airport 63 mi 101 km Sturtevant WI IL 17 mi 27 km Glenview 0 mi Chicago other Amtrak services other Amtrak services California Zephyr, Illinois Zephyr, and Southwest Chief Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle City of New Orleans, Illini and Saluki Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and Michigan Services Cardinal All stations are accessible This diagram: view talk edit

The Borealis, referred to as Twin Cities–Milwaukee–Chicago (TCMC) during planning, is an Amtrak inter-city rail service that operates daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Saint Paul, Minnesota, via Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The first service began on May 21, 2024, under the Amtrak Midwest brand.

The train supplements the long-distance Empire Builder, serving the same stations but with higher reliability and complementary departure times. As an extension of an existing Chicago–Milwaukee Hiawatha train, the Borealis doubled Amtrak service frequency between Milwaukee and Saint Paul.