Amtrak suspends Borealis passenger rail service, citing corrosion issues on cars

Amtrak’s Borealis passenger rail service between St. Paul and Chicago was canceled on Wednesday, after Amtrak found a problem with the rail cars used on the line.

Scheduled trains in both directions were replaced with bus service.

An Amtrak spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday that crews found corrosion in several of the Borealis trains’ Horizon rail cars during a routine inspection.

Amtrak’s statement said it worked with the manufacturer and “decided to remove the equipment from service after learning of additional areas of concern from intensive inspections of multiple cars.”

Amtrak’s decision to pull the Horizon cars is affecting service on several other Amtrak lines, too — including the Hiawatha, Downeaster and Amtrak Cascades.

Wednesday’s Borealis trains were replaced with bus service. The Amtrak spokesperson said the company is drafting a longer-term plan while the Horizon cars are out of service; it was not immediately clear how long the Borealis trains will be replaced with buses.

The Empire Builder train — which also runs between St. Paul and Chicago on its longer route — is operating as usual. It does not use the recalled Horizon cars.

Horizon cars have been in service on Amtrak trains for nearly 40 years. According to the company, just over 100 Horizon cars, built by Bombardier, were added to Amtrak’s fleet between 1988 and 1990.

The Borealis service between the Twin Cities and Chicago launched last May.

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