Empire Builder

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 This diagram: view talk edit Show route diagram map

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.

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