Some 300 travelers were stranded Saturday night as the Amtrak Borealis — the service’s new Chicago-to-St. Paul line — was delayed for hours near Hastings
Reports say the train ground to a halt around 6:30 p.m. due to “switching problems,” referring to the system that moves trains from one track to another.
One passenger, Chicago Tribune editor John Chase, took to X/Twitter to criticize Amtrak for “finger pointing about switching problems while nothing happens and 300 people stranded traveling for the holidays”:
“The train stopped approximately 20 miles from its destination, sparking frustration” among the passengers, Railway Supply noted , adding that the train finally got underway around 10:15 p.m. and finally reached St. Paul over 20 minutes later — arriving four hours behind schedule.
The Borealis launched in May , Amtrak’s second daily service between St. Paul and Chicago. It complements the company’s Empire Builder, which passes through St. Paul on its journey between Seattle and Chicago.