The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line running about from Dilworth to

Fridley, Minnesota Fridley is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 29,590 at the 2020 census. Fridley was incorporated in 1949 as a village, and became a city in 1957. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area as ...

(near

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

). It is operated by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

as part of their

Northern Transcon The Northern Transcon, a route operated by the BNSF Railway, traverses the most northerly route of any railroad in the western United States. This route was originally part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Northern Pacific Railwa ...

and contains the busiest segment of mainline track in the state, the segment between Coon Rapids and Fridley. As of 2015, most of the route hosted an average of 60 trains per day, and there were 80 trains per day near Fridley. As of April 2022, the Staples Sub sees about 30-40 trains a day and it’s starting to rise to be more trains again on the line. The line meets the KO Subdivision in the west at East Dilworth, and runs to Interstate in Fridley, at the limits of Northtown Yard. Beyond Northtown, the rails continue as the

Midway Subdivision The Midway Subdivision or Midway Sub is a railway line in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The line is part of BNSF Railway's Northern Transcon which runs from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. This is former ...

and St. Paul Subdivision.

U.S. Highway 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 10 ...

closely follows the rail line for a majority of the distance between Dilworth and Fridley, Minnesota. This subdivision is mostly double track with only 2 segments of single track. An approximately three mile segment of single track exists between Gregory and Little Falls and sees the crossing of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The second, approximately 25 mile segment of single track, runs between Darling and Philbrook with sidings at Randall and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

. As of March 2016, there are no immediate plans to double track these remaining portions of single track. This line has hosted

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily 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 Northe ...

'' since 1979, and the train makes stops along the Staples Subdivision in St. Cloud, Staples, and

Detroit Lakes Detroit Lakes is a city in the State of Minnesota and the county seat of Becker County. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000 midsum ...

. Since November 2009, it has also hosted the

Northstar Line The Northstar Line is a commuter rail route in the US state of Minnesota. Northstar runs from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis at Target Field using existing track and right-of-way owned by the BNSF Railway. Passenger service began on Novemb ...

commuter train Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are consi ...

, with stops in

Fridley Fridley is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 29,590 at the 2020 census. Fridley was incorporated in 1949 as a village, and became a city in 1957. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area as ...

, Coon Rapids, Anoka,

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Geography British Isles * Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, a small market town in England * Ramsey, Essex, a village near Harwich, England ** Ramsey and Parkeston, a civil parish formerly called just "Ramsey" * Ramsey, Isle of Man, t ...

, Elk River, and Northstar's home terminal in Big Lake. This line also features connections to two subdivisions heading to

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. The Brainerd Subdivision breaks off to the east in Staples, while the

Hinckley Subdivision {{Infobox rail line , box_width = , name = Hinckley Subdivision , color = , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt ...

runs north from Coon Creek Junction in Coon Rapids. Mileposts are counted from near the

Saint Paul Union Depot Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services. I ...

for the southern half of the line from Fridley to near Staples, but northwest of Staples, distance is measured from Duluth.

References

External links

BNSF Subdivisions
BNSF Railway lines Rail infrastructure in Minnesota {{Minnesota-transport-stub