Amtrak · Chicago, IL – St. Paul, MN
Borealis Cell Service & Coverage Map
Modeled coverage on board the Borealis, Chicago, IL to St. Paul, MN. On the train, AT&T has the most solid coverage at 86% of the route, ahead of Verizon (81%) and T-Mobile (76%). Amber stretches are spotty: signal often works but may drop. AT&T's longest true dead zone runs about 2 miles between La Crosse and Winona.
The whole line at a glance
St. Paul, MN on the left, Chicago, IL on the right. Scroll sideways on a phone. Hover a band for its mileposts. Verizon, on the train.
Carriers compared on the train
| Carrier | Coverage mix | Solid | Spotty | 5G | Dead-zone miles | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T Best on board | 86% | 12% | 50% | 7 | 2.4 mi | |
| Verizon | 81% | 19% | 27% | 0 | 0.0 mi | |
| T-Mobile | 76% | 23% | 64% | 3 | 1.2 mi |
Coverage summary
Verizon · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid Verizon service on the train, plus 19% spotty
has modeled 5G; 20% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), near Chicago, IL
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Wisconsin Dells, WI
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 20.2%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 7.2%
- 4G LTE 53.2%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 19.5%
Verizon · Outdoor model
of the route has solid Verizon service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 63% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), near Chicago, IL
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Wisconsin Dells and Tomah
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 63.4%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 11.3%
- 4G LTE 25.3%
AT&T · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid AT&T service on the train, plus 12% spotty
has modeled 5G; 41% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between La Crosse and Winona
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Milwaukee and Columbus
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 41.1%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 9.0%
- 4G LTE 36.1%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 12.2%
- No modeled coverage 1.6%
Plan downloads and calls around La Crosse–Winona (4.3 mi without coverage), Columbus–Portage (2.3 mi without coverage).
AT&T · Outdoor model
of the route has solid AT&T service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 58% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between La Crosse and Winona
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Milwaukee, WI
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 57.6%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 11.9%
- 4G LTE 28.8%
- No modeled coverage 1.6%
Plan downloads and calls around La Crosse–Winona (4.3 mi without coverage), Columbus–Portage (2.3 mi without coverage).
T-Mobile · On the train (in-vehicle model)
of the route has solid T-Mobile service on the train, plus 23% spotty
has modeled 5G; 46% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Columbus and Portage
longest unbroken covered stretch, near Glenview, IL
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 45.8%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 17.9%
- 4G LTE 12.2%
- Spotty (outdoor-strength only) 23.3%
- No modeled coverage 0.8%
Plan downloads and calls around Columbus–Portage (1.2 mi without coverage), Tomah–La Crosse (0.8 mi without coverage), Milwaukee–Columbus (0.8 mi without coverage).
T-Mobile · Outdoor model
of the route has solid T-Mobile service outdoors
has modeled 5G; 86% at the faster 35/3 Mbps tier
longest dead zone (no signal in either model), between Columbus and Portage
longest unbroken covered stretch, between Sturtevant and Milwaukee
- 5G NR · 35/3 Mbps 85.7%
- 5G NR · 7/1 Mbps 7.8%
- 4G LTE 5.3%
- No modeled coverage 1.2%
Plan downloads and calls around Columbus–Portage (1.9 mi without coverage), Milwaukee–Columbus (1.5 mi without coverage), Tomah–La Crosse (0.8 mi without coverage).
Station to station
In timetable order from Chicago, IL. Distances are along the track. Follows the carrier and model selected on the map.
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 57% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 94% | 44% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 98% | 23% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 45% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 78% | 32% | — | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 66% | 28% | — | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 100% | 3% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 91% | 15% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 77% | 22% | — | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 35% | 7% | — | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 78% | 24% | — | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 79% | 34% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 94% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 100% | 89% | — | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 100% | 70% | — | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 100% | 39% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 100% | 77% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 100% | 45% | — | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 100% | 58% | — | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 100% | 53% | — | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 100% | 90% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 99% | 85% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 98% | 94% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 95% | 75% | — | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 48% | 22% | 1.5 mi | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 93% | 28% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 94% | 52% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 77% | 34% | — | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 48% | 4% | 2.4 mi | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 88% | 14% | — | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 93% | 52% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 100% | 97% | — | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 92% | 60% | 1.4 mi | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 100% | 68% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 100% | 87% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 100% | 54% | — | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 84% | 10% | 2.4 mi | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 100% | 19% | — | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 100% | 82% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 92% | 83% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 78% | 72% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 81% | 72% | 0.4 mi | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 67% | 57% | 1.2 mi | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 46% | 25% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 84% | 62% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 69% | 67% | 0.6 mi | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 44% | 31% | — | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 71% | 50% | 0.7 mi | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 78% | 65% | — |
| Segment | Miles | Coverage mix | Solid | 5G | Longest gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago → Glenview | 18 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Glenview → Sturtevant | 46 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Sturtevant → Milwaukee | 15 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Milwaukee | 7 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Milwaukee → Columbus | 64 | 98% | 95% | 1.2 mi | |
| Columbus → Portage | 28 | 93% | 71% | 1.9 mi | |
| Portage → Wisconsin Dells | 17 | 100% | 89% | — | |
| Wisconsin Dells → Tomah | 45 | 100% | 100% | — | |
| Tomah → La Crosse | 41 | 98% | 78% | 0.6 mi | |
| La Crosse → Winona | 27 | 100% | 92% | — | |
| Winona → Red Wing | 62 | 99% | 97% | 0.7 mi | |
| Red Wing → St. Paul | 40 | 100% | 99% | — |
Borealis cell service FAQ
Does the Borealis have cell service?
For most of the trip, yes. Inside the train, solid coverage (the FCC's in-vehicle model) reaches 86% for AT&T, 81% for Verizon, 76% for T-Mobile of the 410-mile route from Chicago, IL to St. Paul, MN. Much of the rest is spotty rather than dead: AT&T has some signal on 98%, Verizon has some signal on 100%, T-Mobile has some signal on 99%.
Which carrier is best on the Borealis?
AT&T has the most modeled on-train coverage (86%), with 5G on 50% of the route. Verizon covers 81% and T-Mobile covers 76%.
Where is the longest dead zone on the Borealis?
AT&T: about 2 miles between La Crosse and Winona. Verizon: about 0 miles near Chicago, IL. T-Mobile: about 1 miles between Columbus and Portage.
Does Amtrak Wi-Fi work on the Borealis?
Amtrak Wi-Fi relies on cellular networks, so it generally weakens or drops in the same places your phone does. Expect it to be unreliable through the dead zones shown on this map.
How accurate is this coverage map?
It reflects carrier-reported modeled coverage published by the FCC (data as of Dec 31, 2025). It is not an onboard measurement. BarTrakr shows the FCC's in-vehicle model by default; the outdoor model is available with the Outdoor switch.
Can I use BarTrakr on the train without signal?
Yes. Tap “Save for offline” before you board. The route, coverage data and map background up to zoom 10 are stored on your device, and live tracking uses your phone's GPS, which works without cell service.
About this data
- Coverage: FCC Broadband Data Collection mobile coverage for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, release D25 (as of Dec 31, 2025, published Oct 13, 2026).
- Route: U.S. DOT / BTS National Transportation Atlas Database, Amtrak Routes. Stations and stop order: Amtrak GTFS.
- On the train: colored where the FCC in-vehicle model shows coverage; amber (spotty) where only the outdoor model does; red where neither does.
- Stretches shorter than a quarter mile are merged into their neighbors; at train speed they last only seconds.