The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

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. It was first settled as a place named Manomin where Rice Creek flows into the Mississippi river and the Red River Oxcart trail crosses ...

(near

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

). It is operated by

BNSF Railway BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three Transcontinental railroad, transcontine ...

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 Railway, ...

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 A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts. K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music * ''K.O.'' (album), a 2021 ...

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 The St. Paul Subdivision or St. Paul Sub is a railway line running within the state of Minnesota. The line originates in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minneapolis and continues through neighboring Saint Paul, Minnesota and on into Saint Paul's southeas ...

. U.S. Highway 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 main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. 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 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

. 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 intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

's ''

Empire Builder 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 North ...

'' since 1979, and the train makes stops along the Staples Subdivision in St. Cloud, Staples, and Detroit Lakes. Since November 2009, it has also hosted the Northstar Line

commuter train Commuter rail or suburban rail is a passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Commuter rail systems can use locomotive-hauled tr ...

, with stops in Fridley, Coon Rapids, Anoka, Ramsey, Elk River, and Northstar's home terminal in Big Lake. This line also features connections to two subdivisions heading to

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

. The Brainerd Subdivision breaks off to the east in Staples, while the Hinckley Subdivision 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 Saint Paul, Minnesota. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services. It is the eastern terminus ...

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

References

{{reflist

External links

BNSF Subdivisions
BNSF Railway lines Rail infrastructure in Minnesota