Successful first month for the new Amtrak Borealis bodes well for future service to Eau Claire
EAU CLAIRE — A successful first month for Amtrak’s new Borealis train may bode well for future service to Eau Claire.
Earlier this month, Amtrak announced higher than expected preliminary ridership numbers during the first full month the new Borealis train operated, traveling daily between St. Paul and Chicago.
Exceeding over 18,500 passengers since beginning operation on May 21, Wisconsin DOT officials said in the press release that they are now working on a potential shuttle service between Tomah and the Chippewa Valley which would operate on a single fair-through ticket.
“You’d be able to get on the shuttle in Eau Claire, perhaps, and then it would take you to Tomah, which is the closest station going east on I-94, and it would connect directly to the train,” Scott Rogers, Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Government Affairs, said in an interview. “You could buy a through ticket from Eau Claire to Milwaukee or Eau Claire to Chicago. They do a lot of this in other states too like California.”
He stated that this would enable people not to have to worry about arranging additional transportation to catch the train in Tomah.
“It’s a way to augment ridership for the train and to make it an effective service for people that don’t live right on the route,” he said.
The new Borealis train travels along the same Wisconsin corridor as the longer Empire Builder train, but the shorter route it travels means fewer delays.
“The Empire Builder runs all the way from the west coast,” said Rogers. “And one of the things by running that far (is that) it can be vulnerable to running late, especially if there’s a major incident. There is a program under which the states and other localities can work with Amtrak to operate additional trains other than those long distance trains. Wisconsin and Illinois, for a long time, has done that with Chicago to Milwaukee.”
The addition of the Borealis train is a part of the continuing long-term efforts of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to add cities, like Eau Claire, to the passenger rail service in the state. Rogers said that the shuttle service would be the first step to eventually adding the Chippewa Valley to one of the Borealis’ stops.
“As new services come online and they are successful — that shows that there’s a demand for this kind of service, and that helps move the ball forward for service here,” he said.
When asked about previous efforts to bring passenger rail to the area, Rogers said that “the big thing that has been able to move it forward is that there’s now a federal program with a prescribed pipeline to get service going.”
The Federal Railroad Administration launched the Corridor Identification and Development Program as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This creates a pipeline for new and expanded train routes throughout the country.
“This is the first time there’s really been a national program that has significant funding and a clear path (for) adding service,” Rogers said. “(It’s) probably not unlike the Interstate Highway System in the fifties.”
He said that train travel benefits the environment, reduces traffic on highways, and is more fuel efficient.
In terms of convenience, he said, “If you’re on a train, you can do anything you want with your time. You can be getting work done on a laptop. You can be reading a book. You can be watching a movie. You sort of regain your time that otherwise would be spent behind the wheel.”
In the press release, Amtrak stated that customers enjoy wide reclining seats with lots of leg room, free Wi-Fi, and scenic daytime Wisconsin views. Discounts are available for children ages 2 through 12, students, seniors, veterans, and military personnel.
The current nearest stops on the Borealis and Empire Builder routes from Eau Claire include Tomah, La Crosse, Red Wing, and St. Paul.
