Early figures show Borealis train carrying 600 passengers daily between St. Paul, Chicago

Early passenger figures indicate that the newly launched Amtrak Borealis service between St. Paul and Chicago is a hit.

The Borealis train launched on May 21, and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) reported it has carried 604 passengers daily between its launch and the end of May, figures confirmed in the monthly performance report from Amtrak.

WisDOT reports that from May 21-31, the daily average for westbound passengers was 329, and for eastbound passengers it was 275, with 6,600 passengers carried in that 11 day period.

The Borealis is the second daily train service on the 411-mile route between St. Paul and Chicago, complementing the Empire Builder service that runs through St. Paul on its way between Chicago and Seattle.

With shorter stops than the Empire Builder, the Borealis completes the journey about half-an-hour quicker, taking about 7 hours and 20 minutes.

Such is the early success of the Borealis, the Star Tribune's Greta Kaul reported that Ramsey County Board Chair Trista Martinson suggested Amtrak is considering adding a third daily service between the cities.