The Mankato Subdivision or Mankato 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 Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

line operated by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

. It runs generally southwest, starting at Chestnut Street in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

, where it crosses 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 ...

, then runs south along the Mississippi and then the

Minnesota River The Minnesota River ( dak, Mnísota Wakpá) is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately 332 miles (534 km) long, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It drains a watershed of in Minnesota and about in South Dakota and Iowa. It ris ...

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

, where it turns away from the river and continues west to St. James. From there Union Pacific's rails continue southwest toward

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, as the railroad's

Worthington Subdivision The Worthington Subdivision or Worthington Sub is a railway line operated by Union Pacific Railroad. It runs generally southwest-northeast and begins at a siding in St. James Township, Minnesota, where the Mankato Subdivision ends, and it continue ...

Connections

The rail line interchanges with the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

Merriam Park Subdivision The Canadian Pacific Railway's Merriam Park Subdivision or Merriam Park Sub, also known as the Short Line, is a railway line in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is run by the Soo Line Railroad, a U.S. in-name-only division of CP. It runs from the Saint P ...

at Chestnut Street in the north, and with CP subsidiary

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Before its purchase, it was the largest Class II railroad in the United States, operating across South Dakota and southern Minnesota i ...

in Mankato ( Tracy Subdivision). The Union Pacific Montgomery Subdivision and the defunct Chaska Industrial Lead begin at a point named Merriam between

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Ri ...

and Carver.

Operation

The line is primarily dispatched via

track warrant control A track warrant is a set of instructions issued to a train crew authorizing specific train movements. The system is widely used in North America. The warrant is issued by the train dispatcher and delivered to the train crew via radio. The train cr ...

, but also has

automatic block signaling Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections ...

from the junction at Merriam to Mankato. North of Chestnut Street and farther into the Merriam Park Subdivision, trains use

centralized traffic control Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...

. The general speed limit for freight trains on the line is , though many segments are restricted to lower speeds. The street running in

Shakopee, Minnesota Shakopee ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota, United States. It is located southwest of Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of ...

on 2nd Avenue East and West has a speed limit is 10mph. There is no passenger service on the line, though any passenger excursions or business trains may operate up to 10 mph faster. the line between Saint Paul and Valley Park sees 6 freight trains daily, with 3 operating between Valley Park and Saint James.

History

The Minnesota Valley Railway Company built from Mendota to Shakopee by 1865.Stennett, William H.. Yesterday and Today: A History of the Chicago and North Western Railway System. United States: Winship Company, Printers, 1910. The railroad was extended to Belle Plaine by 1866 and Le Sueur by 1867. It reached St. Peter by 1868 and Mankato by 1869. At that time, it was renamed the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad. The predecessor of the

Omaha Road Bridge Number 15 Omaha Road Bridge Number 15 is a swing bridge that spans the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1915 by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (Omaha Road), though it, and the line from St. Pa ...

was completed over the Mississippi to extend the line to St. Paul. This line became

Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway or ''Omaha Road'' was a railroad in the U.S. states of Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota. It was incorporated in 1880 as a consolidation of the Chicago, St. Paul and ...

(Omaha Road) trackage. The C. St. P. M. & O. then purchased the St. Paul and Sioux City in 1881. The Omaha Road was part of the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...

. The Union Pacific acquired the C&NW.

References

{{reflist Union Pacific Railroad lines Rail infrastructure in Minnesota Mankato, Minnesota