Riders of Amtrak’s popular Borealis line are being bused between St. Paul and Chicago after a routine inspection found problems with several passenger cars and the railroad pulled them from the line.
“We discovered corrosion in several Horizon railcars and, while working with the manufacturer, decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars,” said spokesman Marc Magliari.
Inspections also found corrosion on cars on three other lines, including the Hiawatha, which runs between Chicago and Milwaukee, Magliari said.
It was unknown how long the railcars would be out of service. “Substitute transportation” will be used until a long-term plan is developed, Magliari said.
A total of 70 cars — 61 coaches and nine food-service cars — were affected, according to Trains.com.
Service on the Empire Builder, which runs from Chicago to the West Coast cities of Seattle and Portland, was not affected. The Empire Builder stops at Union Depot in St. Paul.
Borealis service began in May 2024 and uses single-level Horizon railcars built by Bombardier between 1988 and 1990.
The line, which provides one trip between St. Paul and Chicago in each direction daily, has been extremely popular. In its first 22 weeks, more than 100,000 passengers hopped on, the railroad said in October.
