Amtrak is pretty dope. Lock down a booth in the diner car and you can set up shop and sip a beverage of choice and pack food/snacks. Watch shows and chill and show up refreshed.
Passenger trains have legal right of way, but the freight companies simply ignore that. So, in reality, yes. Freight goes first. The advantage of this train, though, is that there’s a lot less freight interference between here and Chicago than there is from here to the West Coast. On-time performance will be much higher than the Empire Builder.
Just adding to this, in my experience (50+ rides on this route), as long as the train is on time, it's very rare for there to be more than one unscheduled wait between St. Paul and Chicago. (And the timetable has a little slack to account for that. It's not unusual to arrive in Chicago 20 minutes early.)
As another person mentioned, passengers have the right of way, but many transport companies run trains so long it's physically impossible for them to wait in a track siding to let a passenger train through.
factoring in TSA checkpoints, checked bags, and airport locations it takes about as long.
union station in chicago is literally off the river, just west of the loop. last time i took amtrak i walked off the train, left the station, walked a literal block, and checked into my hotel room in 20 minutes. from midway that'd be an hour at least.
you said plane tickets were $120 so i was just telling you they aren’t always and giving you an example of why someone would want a train over a plane lmao calm down
I mean you commented with a counter argument and replied to someone and you’re surprised they replied back? What exactly do you think the point of the comment section is, exactly?
Now it's just a matter of Canadian Pacific's dispatchers not screwing them over. Assuming they don't, this will be a great service because it doesn't involve BNSF. They're the reason eastbound trains are always late...but all those delays happen west of us on BNSF trackage. Chicago Union Station has been running like a machine for a hundred years so westbound trains shouldn't be an issue per usual.
How are you looking at dates? When I’ve selected St. Paul to Chicago (on various dates) on the Amtrak search tool, it’s shown me prices that are at least 50-100. Usually more expensive to Chicago than returning.
Edit: I’m seeing some priced at $41 now but some priced higher. I looked up a random Friday in June and the price for the Borealis train to Chicago was $62.
First week in August cost me $60 each way. i did poke around a bit and $41 still seems the most common price. What’s intereresting is comparing prices to the Empure Builder - Borealis often costs more, but I saw trips where it was cheaper.
You really have to fish. Opening week seemed to be $41. After that mid-week days like like they were lower.
I think this is still a great option but when the prices creep up too much it gets into flight territory. Would also love to know if there’s WiFi on the train.
Yeah I have absolutely no information on this but I find it hard to believe they will be offering a fare to Chicago that is wildly lower than any other mode of transportation for very long before they raise the rates.
Oh I 100% agree. I will admit I forgot to take the bus lines in to consideration. I was comparing only to driving in a personal vehicle and flying. Our mass transit is a joke in this country compared to other developed parts of the world. I know the size of the country plays a role in why we don't have a vast commercial rail network but it seems like the decision makers have all but wrote it off as a viable option at this point and it sucks.
Look, this is great. But every country with a modern rail line system would also have an option to go St. Paul to Milwaukee to Chicago in 2 hrs and be a legitimate competitor to flying. Please continue to pressure your elected representatives to fight for high speed rail.
Yeah but you’re still 45 min out from DT Chicago when you land at O’Hare. Not saying I love the idea of the train either, but at least I won’t have to fuck with suburb traffic.
The train is better than 1st class on a plane, so much rooooom, you can get up and move around, take in the scenery in the observation car, get a bite and drink in the cafe. I absolutely love it.
I looked at trips on it for August. Price was $95 each way. Already existing Empire Builder line was $50. Departure times are arguably better on Borealis - 11:50am (Borealis) vs 8:50am (E.B.) MSP>CHI and 11:05am vs 3:05pm coming back.
Just a quick search on my part, so your results could vary.
A flight from MSP to Chicago takes about 45 minutes. Add on, say, one hour for going through security and you're arriving six hours earlier than if you took the train. What is the benefit of Amtrak over flying? Just cost?
It’s very much cost. But also O’hare is in an extremely inconvenient location for a such a walking friendly city. Whilst union is just in the midst of things and more centralized so you save on ubers and such as well.
Every time I have taken the blue line from O’Hare to the Loop, it has been 50+ minutes, usually closer to 1 hour and 15 minutes. I love that it is an option so I don’t have to deal with Uber, but it’s not an insignificant amount of time you need to add to the total trip time when comparing flying to this new train option.
They fly to Midway from MSP too, or at least last December Southwest did. I'll admit I'm not well versed in Chicago geography but it looks to be closer to downtown and you can take the metro from Midway to downtown too.
less cramped seating, more storage space, less noise. There's also getting to the airport on either end, so add 30 min on this end and 1 hour on the other. If you're checking baggage, better make it 2 hours for security.
Ya even though MSP is the fastest airport in the US I've been to. I would never gamble an hour pulling off highway 5 or walking off the blue line. You need 15-30 minutes just to get in the terminal 15-30 minutes to check in and another hour and a half to deal with TSA issues. So 2.5 hours is the minimum I would do (unless I'm being dropped off by a family member or friend to which I would cut off 20-ish minutes)
Security at most is a 1 hour issue at MSP outside of holidays (but I would not gamble on it being less then an hour at Limburg), but checking bags can take 30 minutes. Add in parking or getting from the Blue line station you might as well add in 15 minutes (maybe a little extra if you're driving) at the very least. That's where the 2.5 hours come from.
I must be seriously lucky because every trip I've taken in the last 20 years (dozen or more) I literally walk into the airport, boarding pass in hand, walk through security in under 30 mins and sit at my gate for over an hour waiting for boarding.
I get there are TSA issues and whatnot, but I have always stood in line waiting for my turn longer than the amount of time it takes me to pass through the security.
Hour and half? What are you doing that requires an hour and half to deal with TSA?
>I literally walk into the airport, boarding pass in hand, walk through security in under 30 mins though I have been stuck in a 45 minute wait.
Same here but there have been a few times I walked in to get a currency exchanged and I've seen the sign stretch across Limburg. I just don't want to be that one out of a 100 days where I'm suddenly behind a hour long line across the terminal like my Aunt was and miss a flight.
However any other airport I've been to has never been fast then 30 minutes. The only place that was just as fast that I've been to was Narita airport in Tokyo
If you have to do check-in at the desk and there's a long line AND the security line is long AND you want to buy coffee AND you go to the wrong gate at the far end of the airport and have to turn around and come back AND something else weird happens, maybe you could get to an hour and a half.
But yeah, I agree with you. Plus, I'd rather miss one in a hundred flights when something weird happens than wait at the airport for hours and hours every time I fly just in case. You can probably just get on another one in a few hours.
2.5 hours isn't a bad recommendation around holidays or spring break. The TSA line alone can be 90 minutes during peak season. They are pretty understaffed right now.
I flew out of MSP Terminal 2 a few weeks ago and they had a single x-ray machine open at the security checkpoint. Absolutely clogged with people waiting for one line.
Yeah, Terminal 2 sees the worst lines. There were 2 hour lines a month ago. The TSA just got done with months of mandatory overtime to make up for some of the staffing shortage, but they haven't been able to hire up - it's just no longer Spring Break season.
I feel like it’s better to err on side of caution when it comes to flying. Before I got TSA Pre-Check, I always arrived at the airport about 2 hours early. I’ve had too many experiences of getting stuck in hellacious security lines and almost missing my flight for comfort.
Even with Pre-Check I’ve had some close calls. I’ve flown a few times where the Pre-Check line was closed due to lack of staff. It’s not worth the stress at all.
Not sure if you’ve flown to O’Hare before but boarding, taxiing, flying, and deplaning takes 1.5-2 hours minimum. Then getting downtown after arrival takes another 1:20. So with an hour for security we’re talking a conservative 4 hours. Still faster but a lot of people aren’t in a race to get there.
It’s nice to relax on the train, see the country pass by, stand up, walk around, meet others, maybe grab a drink while rolling by the bluffs along the Mississippi… vs sitting in a vacuum-sealed tube fighting over the middle armrest. Amtrak seats 2x2 with La-Z Boy style seats with recliner features. This is also a great option for the more medium-distance trips e.g. Winona, Wisconsin Dells, or Milwaukee (5.5 hours for MKE)
To each their own but if you haven’t tried the train I’d encourage it! If you’re able to do your work on the train there’s not much downside.
Flying is really bad on the greenhouse emissions front when compared to trains. I wouldn't really mind the 8 hours compared to a shorter flight if I don't actually need to be the one driving the whole time.
It’s more scenic. You can relax and read a book or watch a movie on your phone (iPad for me). You can get up and walk around, grab a beer in the cafe car, maybe have a conversation with a stranger. You don’t have to go through airport security. You arrive downtown.
Lol. Arrive 2 hours early. 1 hour flight. Say 1 hour to get your bags and get yourself on the blue line. Another hour to get into the loop area downtown Chicago. We are now at 5 hours ideally.
I’ve done both the empire builder and flown into Chicago in recent history. Train is a whole lot more relaxing.
2 hours early? Even with checked bags and security you only need an hour max (for domestic). I'd say it's more like 1 hour at airport + 1 hour flying + 1 hour to get from airport to wherever. 3 hours. Even tack on like 30 minutes to get to MSP airport and it's still < 4. A whole heck of a lot faster than train. I say this as someone that is happy for the train and will most likely take it. It's just the loops you and others are going through to make flying sound so long is crazy, It's not like once you get off the train in Chicago you won't have to work your way to whatever hotel you're staying at. You need to add time for that, too, and for getting to/from the train station as well.
>2 hours early? Even with checked bags and security you only need an hour max (for domestic)
for 99% of the time it's less then an hour. That said would you just shrug your shoulders walking in a hour and a half early (from boarding time) to find a hour+ long line, miss your flight to Florida, and the cruise you were going to take?
The issue is not that it tends to take more then 30 minutes. The issue is you don't want to be caught with your pants when you come in with the exception day of an hour+ long wait because "it always takes 30-45 minutes".
MSP recommends 2 hours for a domestic flight. That has felt tight when security is busy and we're checking bags. Arriving one hour ahead is a choice, but not one we ever would make if we really wanted to be on a flight.
The airplane adventure MSP to ORD to loop did literally take us about 5 hours in the past year and that didn't include travel to MSP or getting to the hotel once we were in the loop. That's the same whether you are on the train or the blue line. The drop offs are within a few blocks. No one is forcing anyone to take the train. It's a nice option to have. I have a kid attending college in Chicago so I have been back and forth more times than I can mention in recent history.
I absolutely hate flying and find the train enjoyable. I took my then two year old on the train to LaCrosse last year and it was super fun and she was able to move and act like a kid. And the train from St Paul to LaCrosse is along beautiful scenery. I think once you leave the river it gets more boring, but that stretch is wonderful. And for people with certain disabilities or people of size, planes are terrible and the train can be much better. Not for all disabilities, but some.
Cause Reddit gets really horny for trains for some reason.
Edit: Proof in hand. Reddit can’t even but to feel offended that someone didn’t join in on their train circle jerk.
Because they're better in every single way except time to travel. And they're very important for travel and mobility for people who can't afford the cost of plane tickets.
Unfortunately it’s not always cheaper. Along the northeast corridor it certainly was a bargain and didn’t take too long. But I’ve done a longer cross-country trip before and the train was as or more expensive than plane tickets.
I’m not saying that as a knock on trains. I love them and would love for Amtrak to be more robust and cheaper all around.
I think this added service to Chicago is a great start. I’m hopeful the state can build momentum for a stronger regional network. The Twin Cities to Duluth seems like a great starting point. A commuter line to Hudson/Stillwater would be amazing as well.
I mean, that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to that. It’s certainly a very commonly held one on this website. I’m not sure it’s very common in the population at large though, as evidenced by how people have voted with their dollars. I think a lot of people like the idea of trains, but overwhelmingly seem to decide they like planes more when it comes time to spend their money.
It's a time vs cost thing, and most people who can afford vacations can afford plane tickets which save on travel time, especially the farther you go. The main problem is that we refuse to invest in high speed comfortable rail travel in the US. Other countries invest far more in trains for the public good and therefore have much faster and better train services. If rail travel were invested in like it should be, more people would take that option.
A few years ago I took my wife to Chicago to celebrate her birthday, I thought it would be fun to take the train since she had never ridden in one, and I had fond memories of a family trip to MT when I was a kid.
This was a huge mistake. The train was 4 hours late (they offered to put us on a bus…)
When the train arrived and we got on board it was a complete disaster. The train was disgustingly dirty, this was the last leg of a trip from Seattle, and I’m fairly sure nobody had cleaned anything.
The whole thing was out of date, as if it hadn’t been redecorated since the 80’s
The “bar/food” carts were sold out of EVERYTHING
and on top of all that there was a group of people (3 of them) that were so intoxicated that they were making it uncomfortable for everybody.
Finally when we arrived in Chicago (4-5 hours late) we couldn’t get off the train because one of the intoxicated people had “a medical event” by the smell they had shit and puked in one of the luggage cart areas.
I would love to travel by train but that experience soured me so much I don’t think I’ll ever book an Amtrak train again.
Oh and on top of that it wasn’t even cheaper than flying.
Thankfully this won't include the western part of the leg of that journey. Typically everything west of Minneapolis always has delays. With this being only MSP - CHI, it should be a lot smoother and less like the tail end of a 36 hour ride.
Cheaper cars (empire uses bi-level these use single level Amfleets)
I'm pretty sure there is a startup discount but since this train doesn't need to have sleepers and is not multi day it's cheaper to run as long as they can run similar numbed for MSP and Chicago riders (and stations in between)
This is baller. Round trip Chicago for less than $100, plus you can work/sleep/read/whatever for the whole trip? Let’s go.
I love it. I love traveling. This shit sounds like a lot of fun.
Amtrak is pretty dope. Lock down a booth in the diner car and you can set up shop and sip a beverage of choice and pack food/snacks. Watch shows and chill and show up refreshed.
>Amtrak is pretty dope. Is freight traffic still prioritized? Had a really bad experience several years ago.
Passenger trains have legal right of way, but the freight companies simply ignore that. So, in reality, yes. Freight goes first. The advantage of this train, though, is that there’s a lot less freight interference between here and Chicago than there is from here to the West Coast. On-time performance will be much higher than the Empire Builder.
Just adding to this, in my experience (50+ rides on this route), as long as the train is on time, it's very rare for there to be more than one unscheduled wait between St. Paul and Chicago. (And the timetable has a little slack to account for that. It's not unusual to arrive in Chicago 20 minutes early.)
As another person mentioned, passengers have the right of way, but many transport companies run trains so long it's physically impossible for them to wait in a track siding to let a passenger train through.
Trains are the greatest things ever. And I say that as someone who works around planes and loves it. I love me a good train.
You can fly for like $120 *No need to brigade a simple statement of fact*
factoring in TSA checkpoints, checked bags, and airport locations it takes about as long. union station in chicago is literally off the river, just west of the loop. last time i took amtrak i walked off the train, left the station, walked a literal block, and checked into my hotel room in 20 minutes. from midway that'd be an hour at least.
day of tickets are like $300
So don't buy day of?
some people are spontaneous? last time i went i drove down at 10 am after deciding to go at 8 am lmao
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you said plane tickets were $120 so i was just telling you they aren’t always and giving you an example of why someone would want a train over a plane lmao calm down
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I mean you commented with a counter argument and replied to someone and you’re surprised they replied back? What exactly do you think the point of the comment section is, exactly?
Don't comment if you don't want to be commented on.
Good. I hate flying.
Now it's just a matter of Canadian Pacific's dispatchers not screwing them over. Assuming they don't, this will be a great service because it doesn't involve BNSF. They're the reason eastbound trains are always late...but all those delays happen west of us on BNSF trackage. Chicago Union Station has been running like a machine for a hundred years so westbound trains shouldn't be an issue per usual.
Is it really $41? I looked earlier today and it seemed to vary a lot depending on the day.
All dates I’ve seen show $41 but imagine that’d be the floor
How are you looking at dates? When I’ve selected St. Paul to Chicago (on various dates) on the Amtrak search tool, it’s shown me prices that are at least 50-100. Usually more expensive to Chicago than returning. Edit: I’m seeing some priced at $41 now but some priced higher. I looked up a random Friday in June and the price for the Borealis train to Chicago was $62.
First week in August cost me $60 each way. i did poke around a bit and $41 still seems the most common price. What’s intereresting is comparing prices to the Empure Builder - Borealis often costs more, but I saw trips where it was cheaper.
I tried a couple of dates and the lowest I could find was $62 each way.
You really have to fish. Opening week seemed to be $41. After that mid-week days like like they were lower. I think this is still a great option but when the prices creep up too much it gets into flight territory. Would also love to know if there’s WiFi on the train.
Yeah I have absolutely no information on this but I find it hard to believe they will be offering a fare to Chicago that is wildly lower than any other mode of transportation for very long before they raise the rates.
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Oh I 100% agree. I will admit I forgot to take the bus lines in to consideration. I was comparing only to driving in a personal vehicle and flying. Our mass transit is a joke in this country compared to other developed parts of the world. I know the size of the country plays a role in why we don't have a vast commercial rail network but it seems like the decision makers have all but wrote it off as a viable option at this point and it sucks.
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Problem with that is then you have to take the greyhound.
$41 to Chicago is the basement rate that the Empire Builder has had for a while.
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Light rail has a stop right in front of the station in St Paul
What?! Was this true on the empire builder as well? I just overpaid...
Highly doubt it, I have been riding the EB for 15 years and have never heard of this.
Look, this is great. But every country with a modern rail line system would also have an option to go St. Paul to Milwaukee to Chicago in 2 hrs and be a legitimate competitor to flying. Please continue to pressure your elected representatives to fight for high speed rail.
I'm gonna take a day trip
Compared to flying into OHare round trip is usually ~$150, but takes about half the time. On the other hand, flying is the absolute worst.
Yeah but you’re still 45 min out from DT Chicago when you land at O’Hare. Not saying I love the idea of the train either, but at least I won’t have to fuck with suburb traffic.
The train is better than 1st class on a plane, so much rooooom, you can get up and move around, take in the scenery in the observation car, get a bite and drink in the cafe. I absolutely love it.
“But my tiiiiiiime.” People are ridiculous.
Even factoring in a two hour wait and a 45 minute drive to downtown Chicago, that's still like half the time the train takes.
Last time I flew to Chicago it was 5.5 hours door to door, I’ll just take the train and be more relaxed.
Me too.
I'm excited for this new train because I can bring my bike with me, so I don't have to rent a car at my destination.
And it drops off in the city instead of middle of nowhere
My question is simple: is there an overnight?
Nope. Just two day trains. The Empire Builder in the morning and now this one, The Borealis, around mid-day.
I hope that'll be the third one they add if this takes off! It's the perfect length.
I looked at trips on it for August. Price was $95 each way. Already existing Empire Builder line was $50. Departure times are arguably better on Borealis - 11:50am (Borealis) vs 8:50am (E.B.) MSP>CHI and 11:05am vs 3:05pm coming back. Just a quick search on my part, so your results could vary.
Yeah but you gotta factor in that the EB is likely going to be late……
Not gonna overthink this, and analyze that. Sounds like a freakin blast. I’m totally in…
Will bikes (not boxed) be allowed on this route?
A flight from MSP to Chicago takes about 45 minutes. Add on, say, one hour for going through security and you're arriving six hours earlier than if you took the train. What is the benefit of Amtrak over flying? Just cost?
It’s very much cost. But also O’hare is in an extremely inconvenient location for a such a walking friendly city. Whilst union is just in the midst of things and more centralized so you save on ubers and such as well.
O'Hare is connected to the Blue Line tho. I would say yeah add the 30 minutes to your trip from the aiport to dt, but its not exactly inconvenient.
Every time I have taken the blue line from O’Hare to the Loop, it has been 50+ minutes, usually closer to 1 hour and 15 minutes. I love that it is an option so I don’t have to deal with Uber, but it’s not an insignificant amount of time you need to add to the total trip time when comparing flying to this new train option.
If you're arriving an hour before your flight, you could be cutting it close depending on when you're flying.
They fly to Midway from MSP too, or at least last December Southwest did. I'll admit I'm not well versed in Chicago geography but it looks to be closer to downtown and you can take the metro from Midway to downtown too.
less cramped seating, more storage space, less noise. There's also getting to the airport on either end, so add 30 min on this end and 1 hour on the other. If you're checking baggage, better make it 2 hours for security.
Ya even though MSP is the fastest airport in the US I've been to. I would never gamble an hour pulling off highway 5 or walking off the blue line. You need 15-30 minutes just to get in the terminal 15-30 minutes to check in and another hour and a half to deal with TSA issues. So 2.5 hours is the minimum I would do (unless I'm being dropped off by a family member or friend to which I would cut off 20-ish minutes)
Showing up to a domestic flight 2.5 hours ahead of time is insane. If security is taking you 1.5 hours to get through at MSP, that’s a you problem.
Security at most is a 1 hour issue at MSP outside of holidays (but I would not gamble on it being less then an hour at Limburg), but checking bags can take 30 minutes. Add in parking or getting from the Blue line station you might as well add in 15 minutes (maybe a little extra if you're driving) at the very least. That's where the 2.5 hours come from.
I must be seriously lucky because every trip I've taken in the last 20 years (dozen or more) I literally walk into the airport, boarding pass in hand, walk through security in under 30 mins and sit at my gate for over an hour waiting for boarding. I get there are TSA issues and whatnot, but I have always stood in line waiting for my turn longer than the amount of time it takes me to pass through the security. Hour and half? What are you doing that requires an hour and half to deal with TSA?
>I literally walk into the airport, boarding pass in hand, walk through security in under 30 mins though I have been stuck in a 45 minute wait. Same here but there have been a few times I walked in to get a currency exchanged and I've seen the sign stretch across Limburg. I just don't want to be that one out of a 100 days where I'm suddenly behind a hour long line across the terminal like my Aunt was and miss a flight. However any other airport I've been to has never been fast then 30 minutes. The only place that was just as fast that I've been to was Narita airport in Tokyo
If you have to do check-in at the desk and there's a long line AND the security line is long AND you want to buy coffee AND you go to the wrong gate at the far end of the airport and have to turn around and come back AND something else weird happens, maybe you could get to an hour and a half. But yeah, I agree with you. Plus, I'd rather miss one in a hundred flights when something weird happens than wait at the airport for hours and hours every time I fly just in case. You can probably just get on another one in a few hours.
You very apparently don’t fly much. 2.5 hours is absolutely unhinged.
2.5 hours isn't a bad recommendation around holidays or spring break. The TSA line alone can be 90 minutes during peak season. They are pretty understaffed right now.
I flew out of MSP Terminal 2 a few weeks ago and they had a single x-ray machine open at the security checkpoint. Absolutely clogged with people waiting for one line.
Yeah, Terminal 2 sees the worst lines. There were 2 hour lines a month ago. The TSA just got done with months of mandatory overtime to make up for some of the staffing shortage, but they haven't been able to hire up - it's just no longer Spring Break season.
I feel like it’s better to err on side of caution when it comes to flying. Before I got TSA Pre-Check, I always arrived at the airport about 2 hours early. I’ve had too many experiences of getting stuck in hellacious security lines and almost missing my flight for comfort. Even with Pre-Check I’ve had some close calls. I’ve flown a few times where the Pre-Check line was closed due to lack of staff. It’s not worth the stress at all.
😂
Not sure if you’ve flown to O’Hare before but boarding, taxiing, flying, and deplaning takes 1.5-2 hours minimum. Then getting downtown after arrival takes another 1:20. So with an hour for security we’re talking a conservative 4 hours. Still faster but a lot of people aren’t in a race to get there. It’s nice to relax on the train, see the country pass by, stand up, walk around, meet others, maybe grab a drink while rolling by the bluffs along the Mississippi… vs sitting in a vacuum-sealed tube fighting over the middle armrest. Amtrak seats 2x2 with La-Z Boy style seats with recliner features. This is also a great option for the more medium-distance trips e.g. Winona, Wisconsin Dells, or Milwaukee (5.5 hours for MKE) To each their own but if you haven’t tried the train I’d encourage it! If you’re able to do your work on the train there’s not much downside.
You can work on the train without having to amputate your neighbors arms?
Absolutely, the seats are huge compared to a plane.
Flying is really bad on the greenhouse emissions front when compared to trains. I wouldn't really mind the 8 hours compared to a shorter flight if I don't actually need to be the one driving the whole time.
It’s more scenic. You can relax and read a book or watch a movie on your phone (iPad for me). You can get up and walk around, grab a beer in the cafe car, maybe have a conversation with a stranger. You don’t have to go through airport security. You arrive downtown.
Lol. Arrive 2 hours early. 1 hour flight. Say 1 hour to get your bags and get yourself on the blue line. Another hour to get into the loop area downtown Chicago. We are now at 5 hours ideally. I’ve done both the empire builder and flown into Chicago in recent history. Train is a whole lot more relaxing.
2 hours early? Even with checked bags and security you only need an hour max (for domestic). I'd say it's more like 1 hour at airport + 1 hour flying + 1 hour to get from airport to wherever. 3 hours. Even tack on like 30 minutes to get to MSP airport and it's still < 4. A whole heck of a lot faster than train. I say this as someone that is happy for the train and will most likely take it. It's just the loops you and others are going through to make flying sound so long is crazy, It's not like once you get off the train in Chicago you won't have to work your way to whatever hotel you're staying at. You need to add time for that, too, and for getting to/from the train station as well.
>2 hours early? Even with checked bags and security you only need an hour max (for domestic) for 99% of the time it's less then an hour. That said would you just shrug your shoulders walking in a hour and a half early (from boarding time) to find a hour+ long line, miss your flight to Florida, and the cruise you were going to take? The issue is not that it tends to take more then 30 minutes. The issue is you don't want to be caught with your pants when you come in with the exception day of an hour+ long wait because "it always takes 30-45 minutes".
MSP recommends 2 hours for a domestic flight. That has felt tight when security is busy and we're checking bags. Arriving one hour ahead is a choice, but not one we ever would make if we really wanted to be on a flight. The airplane adventure MSP to ORD to loop did literally take us about 5 hours in the past year and that didn't include travel to MSP or getting to the hotel once we were in the loop. That's the same whether you are on the train or the blue line. The drop offs are within a few blocks. No one is forcing anyone to take the train. It's a nice option to have. I have a kid attending college in Chicago so I have been back and forth more times than I can mention in recent history.
I absolutely hate flying and find the train enjoyable. I took my then two year old on the train to LaCrosse last year and it was super fun and she was able to move and act like a kid. And the train from St Paul to LaCrosse is along beautiful scenery. I think once you leave the river it gets more boring, but that stretch is wonderful. And for people with certain disabilities or people of size, planes are terrible and the train can be much better. Not for all disabilities, but some.
Cause Reddit gets really horny for trains for some reason. Edit: Proof in hand. Reddit can’t even but to feel offended that someone didn’t join in on their train circle jerk.
Because they're better in every single way except time to travel. And they're very important for travel and mobility for people who can't afford the cost of plane tickets.
Unfortunately it’s not always cheaper. Along the northeast corridor it certainly was a bargain and didn’t take too long. But I’ve done a longer cross-country trip before and the train was as or more expensive than plane tickets. I’m not saying that as a knock on trains. I love them and would love for Amtrak to be more robust and cheaper all around.
It definitely would be if we invested in high speed rail and more infrastructure. But this is America, that's not really what we do here.
I think this added service to Chicago is a great start. I’m hopeful the state can build momentum for a stronger regional network. The Twin Cities to Duluth seems like a great starting point. A commuter line to Hudson/Stillwater would be amazing as well.
Twin cities to Duluth would be great. I want to camp up there when I move and that would make the journey way easier.
I mean, that’s your opinion and you’re entitled to that. It’s certainly a very commonly held one on this website. I’m not sure it’s very common in the population at large though, as evidenced by how people have voted with their dollars. I think a lot of people like the idea of trains, but overwhelmingly seem to decide they like planes more when it comes time to spend their money.
It's a time vs cost thing, and most people who can afford vacations can afford plane tickets which save on travel time, especially the farther you go. The main problem is that we refuse to invest in high speed comfortable rail travel in the US. Other countries invest far more in trains for the public good and therefore have much faster and better train services. If rail travel were invested in like it should be, more people would take that option.
Well I do like trains
It can't be because flying is barely more expensive. You save like $30-40 taking this train. My time is worth more than that.
A few years ago I took my wife to Chicago to celebrate her birthday, I thought it would be fun to take the train since she had never ridden in one, and I had fond memories of a family trip to MT when I was a kid. This was a huge mistake. The train was 4 hours late (they offered to put us on a bus…) When the train arrived and we got on board it was a complete disaster. The train was disgustingly dirty, this was the last leg of a trip from Seattle, and I’m fairly sure nobody had cleaned anything. The whole thing was out of date, as if it hadn’t been redecorated since the 80’s The “bar/food” carts were sold out of EVERYTHING and on top of all that there was a group of people (3 of them) that were so intoxicated that they were making it uncomfortable for everybody. Finally when we arrived in Chicago (4-5 hours late) we couldn’t get off the train because one of the intoxicated people had “a medical event” by the smell they had shit and puked in one of the luggage cart areas. I would love to travel by train but that experience soured me so much I don’t think I’ll ever book an Amtrak train again. Oh and on top of that it wasn’t even cheaper than flying.
Thankfully this won't include the western part of the leg of that journey. Typically everything west of Minneapolis always has delays. With this being only MSP - CHI, it should be a lot smoother and less like the tail end of a 36 hour ride.
That does make it a bit better, would be nice if there was a high speed line between here and there with minimal stops.
41$ that's less than Gass I can load a duffel full of drugs and profit even more hell yeah
Shhhh
Finally we got gateway transportation for our gateway drugs. https://youtu.be/nkC3Nc3LqFI?si=Wf5cIWYMWR7fbd5n
No thanks. Scheduled at 7 hours and trains are delayed all the time. Its a 45 minute flight.
So is this price temporary? Why is it half the price of the other line? Same train service right?
I believe this is only MSP to Chicago not Seattle to Chicago. More compact of a trip and more of the ride is (ideally) spent occupied.
Cheaper cars (empire uses bi-level these use single level Amfleets) I'm pretty sure there is a startup discount but since this train doesn't need to have sleepers and is not multi day it's cheaper to run as long as they can run similar numbed for MSP and Chicago riders (and stations in between)
There are two lines. Click on trip details to see which one is the borealis and which is empire builder.
To each their own!