For other uses, see Empire Builder (disambiguation).
Empire Builder
The Empire Builder at Maple Springs, Minnesota, in September 2018.
Overview
Service type
Inter-city rail
Locale
Midwestern and Northwestern United States
First service
June 10, 1929 (1929-06-10)
Current operator(s)
Amtrak
Former operator(s)
Great Northern (1929–1970) Burlington Northern (1970–1971)
Annual ridership
348,993 (FY23) 15.0%[a][1]
Route
Termini
Chicago, Illinois Seattle, Washington or Portland, Oregon
Stops
38 (Seattle–Chicago) 37 (Portland–Chicago)
Distance travelled
2,206 miles (3,550 km) (Seattle–Chicago) 2,257 miles (3,632 km) (Portland–Chicago)
Average journey time
45 hours, 10 minutes (Portland to Chicago)
45 hours, 15 minutes (Seattle to Chicago)
45 hours, 55 minutes (Chicago to Portland)
46 hours, 10 minutes (Chicago to Seattle)[2]
Service frequency
Daily
Train number(s)
7, 8 (Seattle–Chicago) 27, 28 (Portland–Chicago)
On-board services
Class(es)
Coach Class Sleeper Service
Disabled access
Train lower level, all stations
Sleeping arrangements
Roomette (2 beds)
Bedroom (2 beds)
Bedroom Suite (4 beds)
Accessible Bedroom (2 beds)
Family Bedroom (4 beds)
Catering facilities
Dining car, Café
Observation facilities
Sightseer lounge car
Baggage facilities
Overhead racks, checked baggage available at selected stations
Technical
Rolling stock
GE Genesis Siemens Charger Superliner
Track gauge
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Operating speed
50 mph (80 km/h) (avg.) 79 mph (127 km/h) (top)
Track owner(s)
BNSF, CPKC, Metra, MNNR
Route map
Show interactive map
Legend
Cascades to Eugene
Coast Starlight to Los Angeles
2257 mi
3632 km
Portland
Columbia River
OR
WA
2247 mi
3616 km
Vancouver, Washington
Cascades, Coast Starlight
2182 mi
3512 km
Bingen-White Salmon
2151 mi
3462 km
Wishram
2025 mi
3259 km
Pasco (Tri-Cities)
2206 mi
3550 km
Seattle
2188 mi
3521 km
Edmonds
2173 mi
3497 km
Everett
Cascades to Vancouver, BC
Cascade Tunnel
2072 mi
3335 km
Leavenworth
2050 mi
3299 km
Wenatchee
1996 mi
3212 km
Ephrata
Train divides at Spokane
1877 mi
3021 km
Spokane
WA
ID
1807 mi
2908 km
Sandpoint
ID
MT
Troy
Closed 1973
1723 mi
2773 km
Libby
Flathead Tunnel
1620 mi
2607 km
Whitefish
1599 mi
2573 km
West Glacier
1573 mi
2531 km
Essex
1542 mi
2482 km
East Glacier Park
Summer only
1528 mi
2459 km
Browning
Winter only
1495 mi
2406 km
Cut Bank
1471 mi
2367 km
Shelby
1366 mi
2198 km
Havre
1277 mi
2055 km
Malta
1211 mi
1949 km
Glasgow
1162 mi
1870 km
Wolf Point
MT
ND
1055 mi
1698 km
Williston
989 mi
1592 km
Stanley
935 mi
1505 km
Minot
874 mi
1407 km
Rugby
817 mi
1315 km
Devils Lake
732 mi
1178 km
Grand Forks
658 mi
1059 km
Fargo
Red River of the North
ND
MN
Route prior to 1979
Route prior to 1979
Breckenridge
Morris
Willmar
610 mi
982 km
Detroit Lakes
548 mi
882 km
Staples
482 mi
776 km
St. Cloud
Minneapolis
Closed 1978
Midway
1978–2014
417 mi
671 km
Saint Paul
371 mi
597 km
Red Wing
308 mi
496 km
Winona
Mississippi River
MN
WI
281 mi
452 km
La Crosse
240 mi
386 km
Tomah
195 mi
314 km
Wisconsin Dells
178 mi
286 km
Portage
150 mi
241 km
Columbus
86 mi
138 km
Milwaukee
WI
IL
18 mi
29 km
Glenview
0 mi
Chicago
Amtrak connections
California Zephyr, Illinois
Zephyr, Southwest Chief
Lincoln Service, Texas Eagle
City of New Orleans, Illini, Saluki
Capitol Limited, Lake Shore
Limited, Michigan Services
Cardinal
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The Empire Builder is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northern Railway and was retained by Amtrak when it took over intercity rail service in 1971.
The end-to-end travel time of the route is 45–46 hours for an average speed of about 50 mph (80 km/h), though the train travels as fast as 79 mph (127 km/h) over the majority of the route. It is Amtrak's busiest long-distance route.
During fiscal year 2023, the Empire Builder carried 338,993 passengers, an increase of 15.0% from FY2022[3] but 21.8% below pre-COVID-19 levels (433,372 passengers during FY2019[4]). During FY2022, the train had a total revenue of $49,600,000.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^"Amtrak Fiscal Year 2023 Ridership" (PDF). Amtrak. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
^"Amtrak Timetable Results". www.amtrak.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
^"Amtrak FY23 Ridership" (PDF).
^ https://web.archive.org/web/20210528210432/https://media.amtrak.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/FY19-Year-End-Ridership.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2021. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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Global Information
15.0%[a][1]
