Tuesday marked the launch of Amtrak’s new Borealis service, giving residents in Chicago and the Twin Cities another daily travel option between the two cities.
If that’s a night train, fuck the flight. I’d rather sleep on the train and wake up in a new city for 40$ than drive to the airport for an hour, wait on the plain for 1-2 hours, wait 30 minutes for take off, and then get an uber or something to the city center for another 20$. With a train you show up, sit down, and arrive in the center of the city where I want to be.
I’ve slept on an Amtrak train before. It wasn’t great, you’re in a seat the whole way and a lot depends on who you’re seated next to, unless you spring for a bed, which substantially increases the cost.
i can see it being ok for overnight, actually. like, i’m not against the idea, it’s just that it services a narrower range of travel needs due to its long duration.
i’m from NYC, so i’m perfectly happy with train travel, but 7 hours is a long-ass trip.
It may serve a narrower range of travel needs, but it’s worth noting that the reason that Amtrak added the Borealis train on the Twin Cities-to-Chicago route is the existing high customer demand for that segment on the Empire Builder train.
I “slept” on auto train between fla and va. It was not good. The tracks are not straight and the train swings side to side a lot. Couldn’t sleep too well at all. It took a long time to wait for all the procedural stuff like unloading the cars. Basically ate up two days instead of driving for one day.
That’s a 1-hour flight, plus an hour to get to ORD, plus getting there the recommended 2 hours before the flight time to clear security and board, plus baggage claim at MSP. Flying is still faster, but the train is far more chill. High-speed rail would completely beat a plane.
But also, the train makes intermediate stops. I’ve seen a number of Chicago people on social media excited about taking the Borealis to Wisconsin Dells, and that travel time is pretty comparable.
Ok, but $40 for 7 hours? You can get a 1-hour flight for $129
We really need more high-speed rail
If that’s a night train, fuck the flight. I’d rather sleep on the train and wake up in a new city for 40$ than drive to the airport for an hour, wait on the plain for 1-2 hours, wait 30 minutes for take off, and then get an uber or something to the city center for another 20$. With a train you show up, sit down, and arrive in the center of the city where I want to be.
I’ve slept on an Amtrak train before. It wasn’t great, you’re in a seat the whole way and a lot depends on who you’re seated next to, unless you spring for a bed, which substantially increases the cost.
i can see it being ok for overnight, actually. like, i’m not against the idea, it’s just that it services a narrower range of travel needs due to its long duration.
i’m from NYC, so i’m perfectly happy with train travel, but 7 hours is a long-ass trip.
It may serve a narrower range of travel needs, but it’s worth noting that the reason that Amtrak added the Borealis train on the Twin Cities-to-Chicago route is the existing high customer demand for that segment on the Empire Builder train.
I “slept” on auto train between fla and va. It was not good. The tracks are not straight and the train swings side to side a lot. Couldn’t sleep too well at all. It took a long time to wait for all the procedural stuff like unloading the cars. Basically ate up two days instead of driving for one day.
That’s a 1-hour flight, plus an hour to get to ORD, plus getting there the recommended 2 hours before the flight time to clear security and board, plus baggage claim at MSP. Flying is still faster, but the train is far more chill. High-speed rail would completely beat a plane.
But also, the train makes intermediate stops. I’ve seen a number of Chicago people on social media excited about taking the Borealis to Wisconsin Dells, and that travel time is pretty comparable.
You’re not wrong. Plus, the trip on the train is certainly quite scenic.
/c/fuckplanes
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You can drive to Chicago from the twin cities in 3 hours? What are you going 160mph the whole time with 0 traffic?
It is a 5 hour drive from Rochester a bit above the speed limit. Rochester is 45 minutes from the southern point of the twin cities.
Train is still longer, but not 4 hours longer. Still electric high speed trains would be the best, but that will never happen.
yeah, i used to live in MInneapolis. even in the summer (the not-snow/ice season), with good weather and traffic, it’s a 5-6 hour drive to chicago.
You’ve gotta be on the very edge of both suburbs to be doing it in that time. Minneapolis to Chicago is generally like 5 30