Happy Holidays from All Aboard Minnesota!

Well, we did it!! Citizen advocacy paid off and we finally have our 2nd Twin Cities to Chicago train, the Borealis. Since All Aboard Minnesota’s inception, we have worked with you, our members and friends, to get this service started and to make your voices heard. The Minnesota Legislature fully funded the Borealis and the state share for the Twin Cities to Duluth service – Northern Lights Express (NLX). Several legislators credited the voices from AAMN and the Great River Rail Commission in turning the tide towards more rail passenger service.

Our work has continued in earnest this year, with investment in expanding our social media platforms to reach new audiences. Additionally, we’ve met with mayors, city councils, business organizations and other leaders on the St. Paul to Fargo/Moorhead corridor to extend the Borealis on a daytime schedule. We’ve met with more than 35 of these civic and business leaders, all of whom recognize and support the need for more rail passenger service in this corridor.

With the success of the Borealis, we believe the time is now for more expansion. At the time of this writing, there have been more than 120,000 riders since May (two thirds of them in the Milwaukee to St. Paul corridor alone) In addition to extending the Borealis to Fargo/Moorhead on a daytime schedule, we believe that service from the Twin Cities to Kansas City through southern Minnesota and Des Moines would greatly benefit our region. We project that 190,000 riders would patronize this route, offering connections to the Amtrak network serving Denver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

We are grateful for your past contributions, and we ask for your continued support. This work takes volunteer time and money. If you are inspired by the accomplishments to date, and what we can do together to further expand passenger rail in our region, please consider making an end-of-year contribution to propel our mission forward.

We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, and best wishes in 2025.