Staples Subdivision

The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a railway line running about 227 miles (365 km) from Dilworth to Fridley, Minnesota (near Minneapolis). It is operated by BNSF Railway as part of their Northern Transcon 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.[1] 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 and St. Paul Subdivision.[2][3][4] U.S. Highway 10 closely follows the rail line for a majority of the distance between Dilworth and Fridley, Minnesota.

BNSF Northtown Classification Yard (looking South towards Minneapolis)

BNSF Northtown Classification Yard (looking North into Fridley)

Northstar Commuter Train passing through Northtown yard

BNSF Railway
Staples Subdivision
to KO Subdivision 250.2 East Dilworth spur to Felton 248.8 Glyndon 236.1 Witherow 234.4 Hawley 230.6 Manitoba Junction spur 222.0 Lake Park 217.2 Audubon 213.6 Richards Spur Canadian Pacific Railway 210.1 Detroit Lakes Frazee 189.3 Perham 178.5 New York Mills Bluffton former Northern Pacific branch 165.6 Wadena spur former Great Northern 159.0 Verndale Aldrich 150.1 Dower Lake 148.0 Staples 140.2 147.8 to Brainerd Subdivision 134.0 Philbrook 127.8 Lincoln Cushing 116.5 Randall 110.8 Darling spur to Camp Ripley 106.0 Little Falls Mississippi River 103.3 Gregory former Soo Line now Soo Line Trail 95.7 Royalton 88.7 Rice Watab Watab River 78.4 Sartell Sauk Rapids 73.9 St. Cloud and Northern Lines Railway Cable 62.7 Clear Lake 57.5 Becker 47.0 Big Lake 38.6 Elk River Elk River (Metro Transit) Ramsey 26.8 Anoka Coon Rapids - Riverdale to Hinckley Subdivision 21.1 Coon Creek Fridley 15.5 Interstate East Interstate 13.9 Northtown Yard to Midway Subdivision
Amtrak Empire Builder Metro Transit Northstar Line

Platform of the Fridley Northstar station looking South towards Minneapolis

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 second, approximately 25 mile segment of single track, runs between Darling and Philbrook with sidings at Randall and Lincoln. As of March 2016, there are no immediate plans to double track these remaining portions of single track.[5]

BNSF Twin Cities Division office at Northtown Yards

This line has hosted Amtrak's Empire Builder 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, 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. 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 for the southern half of the line from Fridley to near Staples, but northwest of Staples, distance is measured from Duluth.[6]