Amtrak's Empire Builder: The Train that Deserves Better

Streets.mn - September 28, 2020

Amtrak’s Empire Builder, the only intercity rail service in Minnesota, will be reduced from daily to tri-weekly service beginning in October due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. I decided to take it one more time before the cuts went into effect, as there’s no way of knowing how long it’ll be before daily service is restored. This post will be about my trip, plus looking into how the Empire Builder and Amtrak in general can come out of this pandemic stronger.

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Wisconsin-Minnesota Passenger rail project gerts $31M federal grant

KSTP - September 30, 2020

The Wisconsin-Minnesota Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) Passenger Rail Project will receive a $31.8 million federal grant, authorities announced Wednesday. The project will add an additional daily round-trip between the Twin Cities, La Crosse, Milwaukee and Chicago, as well as stops in between, along an existing long-distance Amtrak Empire Builder route.

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Wisconsin-Minnesota passenger rail project receiving $31.8 million federal grant

BizTimes - September 30, 2020

A joint Wisconsin-Minnesota passenger rail project designed to enhance connectivity between the Twin Cities, La Crosse, Milwaukee and Chicago is to receive a $31.8 million federal rail grant, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced. The extension project, formally known as Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago (TCMC) intercity passenger rail service, will add a daily round trip from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Chicago and points in between, including Milwaukee, along the existing Amtrak Empire Builder line that runs all the way to the Pacific Northwest. The TCMC service will be achieved through an extension of one of the Milwaukee-to-Chicago Amtrak Hiawatha service round trips.

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