Borealis
Chicago Union Station to St. Paul-Minneapolis. Westbound train 1333 and eastbound train 1340, daily. The table below lists the named stretches in westbound order with the direction and season each is in daylight.
What you see, in order
Westbound order. Times are the published timetable at the midpoint of each stretch, in Central time. "Dark" means the scheduled time is after sunset or before sunrise in that month; "dawn" and "dusk" are within 30 minutes of them.
| Stretch | Westbound 1333 | Eastbound 1340 | Stations around it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago River and the Merchandise MartThe Merchandise Mart stands on the bank of the Chicago River, whose flow was reversed in 1900; at Niles a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is on the right.Watch for Chicago River, Merchandise Mart | Midday, 11:20 a.m.daylight | Evening, 7:05 p.m.daylight May to Aug; dusk Sep; dark Oct to Feb; dusk Mar to Apr | Chicago Union Station, Glenview |
| Milwaukee and a glimpse of Lake MichiganApproaching Milwaukee, Lake Michigan is glimpsed south of the station, the Menomonee River is crossed, and the Miller Brewery and the Mitchell Park domes are on the left.Watch for Lake Michigan, Menomonee River | Midday, 12:34 p.m.daylight | Evening, 5:48 p.m.daylight Mar to Sep; dusk Oct; dark Nov to Jan; dusk Feb | General Mitchell Intl. Airport, Milwaukee |
| Wisconsin farmlandRed barns and green pastures of America's Dairyland, with rolling hills; the route page describes this part of the line this way.Watch for Red barns, rolling hills | Midday, 1:22 p.m.daylight | Evening, 5:00 p.m.daylight Mar to Oct; dusk Nov; dark Dec; dusk Jan to Feb | Milwaukee, Columbus |
| Wisconsin Dells and the Wisconsin RiverThe red sandstone canyon at Wisconsin Dells, striated rock along the Wisconsin River, and the sandstone formations and Mill Bluff State Park at Camp Douglas on both sides of the train.Watch for Sandstone formations, Mill Bluff State Park | Afternoon, 3:06 p.m.daylight | Afternoon, 3:16 p.m.daylight | Wisconsin Dells, Tomah |
| Tunnel City and the La Crosse RiverSteep hills at Tunnel City with a 1,350-foot tunnel, Tomah Lake on the right, then 25 miles along the La Crosse River to La Crosse.Watch for Tunnel City, La Crosse River | Afternoon, 3:50 p.m.daylight | Afternoon, 2:36 p.m.daylight | Tomah, La Crosse |
| Upper Mississippi RiverRolling hills give way to limestone bluffs rising above the Mississippi; Sugar Loaf Bluff stands over Winona, and the river runs beside the line to St. Paul.Watch for Mississippi River, limestone bluffs, Sugar Loaf Bluff | Evening, 5:26 p.m.daylight Mar to Oct; dark Nov to Jan; dusk Feb | Midday, 1:03 p.m.daylight | La Crosse, Winona, Red Wing, St. Paul-Minneapolis |
| Lake Pepin and Red WingLake Pepin forms where the Chippewa River meets the Mississippi and is a home for eagles in winter; Frontenac and Red Wing beyond, and the Mississippi crossing at Hastings before St. Paul.Watch for Lake Pepin, eagles in winter | Evening, 5:16 p.m.daylight Mar to Oct; dark Nov to Dec; dusk Jan to Feb | Midday, 1:09 p.m.daylight | Winona, Red Wing |
Computed from the Amtrak GTFS timetable (feed version 20261015, valid 2026-10-16 to 2026-10-22, fetched 2026-10-15) and sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month at the midpoint of each stretch. Scheduled times only; a late train moves evening stretches into darkness.How this table is computed.
Stations, in westbound order
| Station | Arrives | Departs |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Union Station | 11:10 a.m. | |
| Glenview | 11:31 a.m. | 11:34 a.m. |
| Sturtevant | 12:11 p.m. | 12:12 p.m. |
| General Mitchell Intl. Airport | 12:25 p.m. | 12:27 p.m. |
| Milwaukee | 12:42 p.m. | 12:49 p.m. |
| Columbus | 1:55 p.m. | 1:55 p.m. |
| Portage | 2:23 p.m. | 2:23 p.m. |
| Wisconsin Dells | 2:43 p.m. | 2:43 p.m. |
| Tomah | 3:29 p.m. | 3:29 p.m. |
| La Crosse | 4:11 p.m. | 4:11 p.m. |
| Winona | 4:45 p.m. | 4:45 p.m. |
| Red Wing | 5:47 p.m. | 5:47 p.m. |
| St. Paul-Minneapolis | 6:41 p.m. |
All times Central time; "+1d" is the day after departure from Chicago Union Station.
Connects with
Routes that stop at a station this train stops at, from the same timetable. Transfer times are not checked.