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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Empire Builder is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. Before Amtrak, the Empire Builder was operated by the Great Northern Railway. The train was Great Northern's flagship train. The current route runs from Chicago, Illinois to the Pacific Northwest. The line splits in Spokane, Washington, terminating at either Seattle, Washington's King Street Station (2,206 miles, or 3,550 km from Chicago) in the north or Portland, Oregon's Union Station (2,257 miles, or 3,632 km from Chicago) in the south.

The train passes through the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Layovers are made in Saint Paul, Minot, and Spokane. Other major stops on the route are Milwaukee, Fargo, Whitefish, Montana, and Vancouver, Washington. Host railways include BNSF Railway's northern route from Seattle to Minneapolis, Canadian Pacific from Minneapolis to Glenview, and Metra from Glenview to Chicago.

One train passes in each direction on a daily basis. The schedule is timed so that the train will pass through the scenic Rocky Mountains (especially Glacier National Park) during daylight hours, but this is more likely to happen in Summer and on eastbound trains. It normally takes 45 to 46 hours to travel the entire route, barring delays.