27-03-2025
Amtrak adjusts service for Borealis line from St. Paul to Chicago after corrosion found in several railcars
The Amtrak Borealis line from St. Paul to Chicago saw more than 100,000 riders in its first five-and-a-half months. But for now, those train wheels are temporarily replaced with rubber.
"We were hoping to avoid the drive to Chicago and back, but that's what we're going to be doing now," Rick Knutson, an Amtrak customer from Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, said. "They would put us on a bus, and we would bus to Chicago, and if we would have wanted to take a bus, we would have gotten a bus ticket."
Corrosion was found in several railcars used on Amtrak's Borealis — the 7-hour and 24-minute train line from the Twin Cities to the Windy City.
The Borealis line
debuted service
in May of last year and the Minnesota Department of Transportation contributed $10 million to the development of the line.
In a statement, Amtrak tells WCCO the decision was about safety.
But Knutson, who previously worked in the industry for BNSF, says the trip won't stop them from riding the rail in the future.
"I'm sure it's not just us, but a lot of people book with Amtak. The Borealis is a very successful service," Knutson said. "We'll get our ride on Borealis one of these days".
Amtrak is providing refunds to customers who chose not to accept their alternative service.
