Saint Paul Union Depot
Encyclopedia
The Saint Paul Union Depot (sometimes referred to as SPUD) was (and will be once again) the main train station
in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota
. The Saint Paul Union Depot Company controlled 9.24 miles (14.9 km) of St. Paul trackage and terminal facilities, including the depot building. The company was operated in tandem with the Minnesota Transfer Railway Company, with effective control of both properties exercised by the same board, composed of representatives of the nine joint tenants. Passenger rail service in the region was restructured in the 1970s, with Amtrak
taking over most passenger service in the United States
.
In 1971, Amtrak moved its rail service for the Twin Cities to the Great Northern Station in Minneapolis, and in 1978 opened the new Midway Station
about halfway between the downtowns of Minneapolis
and St. Paul. The entrance to Union Depot, the headhouse, is considered a somewhat severe example of neoclassical
architecture
, with a number of tall columns in front. However, the concourse
that extends out to platforms where trains once rolled in is considered to be one of the great architectural achievements in the city. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
A number of businesses use the headhouse while the United States Postal Service
has been using the rear train concourse as a staging area for semi-trailer truck
s serving the neighboring Downtown St. Paul Central Post Office. The USPS is moving most of the truck operations to a bulk mail
processing center in Eagan, Minnesota
, making way for rehabilitation of the depot as a rail hub. In June 2009, the Ramsey County Board approved purchasing the depot headhouse for $8.2 million, to serve as a Central Corridor
light rail
station and for future passenger rail use. The purchase paved the way for a $150 million restoration effort which is expected to return trains to the station in 2012.
Demolition of the Postal Service building that blocked track access to the concourse began in mid-March 2011.
). In 1888 the old station had its peak year, handling eight million passengers. That year, about 150 trains departed daily. Around this time, the building was remodeled with a taller central tower and other alterations to the roof
line.
The earlier train station burned in 1915.
caused construction to halt for several years.
During its heyday, the depot had nine railroads operating, with more than 20 million pieces of mail passing through the station to the neighboring St. Paul Central Downtown Post Office annually. At its peak in the 1920s, there were 282 train movements daily. The concourse had 9 platforms serving 18 tracks; the eight northern ones closest to the headhouse were stub-end tracks, while the other ten ran through. However, track ownership and trackage rights west of the station meant that most trains operated as though the station was a stub terminal. These trains, when they were intended to continue beyond the station, would instead back up to a wye just to the east to get to other main lines.
However, train ridership began to quickly erode in the 1920s as the automobile took hold and airlines began to operate. The railroads sought ways stem the flow of passengers and compete with these new forms of transportation. The Great Northern Railway introduced the Empire Builder
in 1929 as the railroad's new premier train. As the Great Depression
unfolded, more aggressive moves were required. The streamliner
era in the United States began in 1934 with the introduction of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Zephyr
. After making a "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash" from Chicago to Denver, Colorado
, the CB&Q's interest would soon turn to the Twin Cities. A demonstration run was completed in 6 hours and 4 minutes, including six one-minute stops. Other railroads were soon busy investigating how to run faster trains to Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
's 400
, cutting the scheduled time between the two cities from about 10 hours down to 7. At its inception, Time dubbed the 400, "the fastest train scheduled on the American Continent, fastest in all the world on a stretch over 200 mi." The C&NW had beaten two other railroads to the punch, which had been planning 6½ hour service to begin in the spring. The Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha
and the Burlington Route
's Twin Cities Zephyr
were introduced with 6½ hour service a few months later at the same time, and C&NW sped its trains to match the same schedule.
The Burlington Zephyrs were the first streamlined
diesel-electric trains to serve the Twin Cities, and originally ran in an articulated
configuration, like a modern TGV
or the Acela Express
. The 400 (now renamed the Twin Cities 400) followed in 1939, but using more conventional couplers to link passenger cars together. The Hiawatha had always been powered by a streamlined (or, in the terminology of the Milwaukee Road, "speedlined") steam locomotive
. The Twin Cities Zephyrs added a second set of trains daily in 1936, becoming known as the Morning Zephyr and Afternoon Zephyr, respectively. The Hiawatha added a second set of trains in 1939, each known as the Morning Hiawatha and Afternoon Hiawatha.
The Morning Hiawatha may hold the record as the world's fastest steam train on two or more measures: The 78.3 miles (126 km) run from Sparta
to Portage, Wisconsin
was scheduled for 58 minutes—an average of 81 miles per hour (130.4 km/h). Speeds up to and above 100 mph (160.9 km/h) were achieved on a daily basis, and the powerful Milwaukee Road class F7
engines (designed for a "reserve speed" of 125 mph (201.2 km/h)) likely ran more miles at or above 100 mph (160.9 km/h) than any other steam locomotives in history.
Burlington's diesel Zephyrs were also very fast, and they had to be—the Zephyr route was about 20 miles (32.2 km) longer than the competition. In southeastern Wisconsin, a stretch of track between stations required an average speed of 84.4 miles per hour (135.8 km/h).
Eventually, the Hiawathas and Zephyrs would run 6-hour schedules, with the 400 running a bit slower with 6¼-hour service. In the 1950s, the federal government began imposing stricter rules for high-speed operation, and expensive advanced signaling was installed along the routes to the Twin Cities, though trains generally slowed to a maximum of 90 to 100 mph (144.8 to 160.9 km/h). Unable to keep up with an increasing automobile speeds on an improving road network and other factors that kept passengers away from trains, train ridership declined and the five daily fast trains became unprofitable.
) Zephyrs ended service on April 30, 1971, the same day the depot closed. The Afternoon Zephyr was the last train to serve the depot when it departed that evening bound for Minneapolis. At this time, this train was normally combined with the Empire Builder and North Coast Limited from Chicago to St. Paul, except on Fridays when it ran as a separate train. Since April 30 was a Friday, the Zephyr had the "honor" of being the last train to depart the station. Amtrak began operating the next day and changed the remaining Twin Cities trains to stop in Minneapolis instead, including the Hiawathas, which existed in various forms until the late 1970s.
Today, the expensive signaling enabling high speeds has been removed, and the Empire Builder respects a speed limit
of 79 miles per hour (127.1 km/h), and takes 8 hours or more to travel from Midway station
to Chicago (although it does take about 20 minutes longer to go from Midway than it would from the Union Depot simply due to a longer route with urban speed restrictions).
light rail
project in Minneapolis drew toward completion. Planners hope to use the depot to make intercity connections for trains and Greyhound
and Jefferson Lines
buses while also using it as a hub for Metro Transit
buses, light rail
, and commuter rail.
The Empire Builder will be the first passenger train to return to the depot when it reopens in 2012, since it is the only intercity line serving the Twin Cities today. The Green Line
light rail line will have its eastern terminus at the station when it opens in 2014, though its final eastern stop will be in front of the depot rather than at a platform under the concourse. Utility relocation work in preparation for the Central Corridor began in front of the depot on 4th Street in August 2009, well before the line received final funding or approval. Track will be laid in 2011–2012. While the Union Depot will be the eastern terminus of service, the tracks will continue beyond the station to the line's maintenance facility. The entire renovation project will cost about $237.5 million, of which $35 million will be provided by the US government through the TIGER
program.
Red Rock Corridor
commuter rail will open a few years after the Green Line, followed by the Rush Line and Gateway Corridor if commuter rail and/or light rail are chosen for these corridors. In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
also released a plan for regional rail stretching out from the Twin Cities to rural Minnesota and neighboring states, and at least some of the lines will run to Saint Paul.
New trains running at speeds above 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) to Chicago have also been discussed since at least 1991, though plans have not moved very quickly. The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
(MWRRI), led by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
, has proposed a link to the Twin Cities running at up to 110 mph (49.2 m/s). While not true high-speed rail
—conventional trains in neighboring Canada
run at up to 105 mph (46.9 m/s), and it does not exceed the top speeds of historical trains—the MWRRI plan does suggest that the top speed would be maintained for significant distances, resulting in higher average speeds: The planned schedule time to Saint Paul would be just 5½ hours. Others including the French national railway SNCF
, which operates the TGV
network, have proposed trains running at up to 220 mph (98.3 m/s).
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
in the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. The Saint Paul Union Depot Company controlled 9.24 miles (14.9 km) of St. Paul trackage and terminal facilities, including the depot building. The company was operated in tandem with the Minnesota Transfer Railway Company, with effective control of both properties exercised by the same board, composed of representatives of the nine joint tenants. Passenger rail service in the region was restructured in the 1970s, with Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
taking over most passenger service in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1971, Amtrak moved its rail service for the Twin Cities to the Great Northern Station in Minneapolis, and in 1978 opened the new Midway Station
Midway (Amtrak station)
Midway Station is the Amtrak train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota, so named after the Midway area which is roughly halfway between the downtowns of St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis. Its Amtrak station code is MSP and serves as the only intercity train station for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul...
about halfway between the downtowns of Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and St. Paul. The entrance to Union Depot, the headhouse, is considered a somewhat severe example of neoclassical
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, with a number of tall columns in front. However, the concourse
Concourse
A concourse is a place where pathways or roads meet, such as in a hotel, a convention center, a railway station, an airport terminal, a hall, or other space.-Examples:Examples of concourses include:* Meeting halls* Universities* Railway stations...
that extends out to platforms where trains once rolled in is considered to be one of the great architectural achievements in the city. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
A number of businesses use the headhouse while the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
has been using the rear train concourse as a staging area for semi-trailer truck
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...
s serving the neighboring Downtown St. Paul Central Post Office. The USPS is moving most of the truck operations to a bulk mail
Bulk mail
Bulk mail broadly refers to mail that is mailed and processed in bulk at reduced rates. The term does not denote any particular purpose for the mail; but in general usage is synonymous with "junk mail."...
processing center in Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan, Minnesota
Eagan is a city south of Saint Paul in Dakota County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the fifteenth largest...
, making way for rehabilitation of the depot as a rail hub. In June 2009, the Ramsey County Board approved purchasing the depot headhouse for $8.2 million, to serve as a Central Corridor
Central Corridor (Minnesota)
The Central Corridor is a light rail line under construction that is to cover the stretch between the downtown regions of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
station and for future passenger rail use. The purchase paved the way for a $150 million restoration effort which is expected to return trains to the station in 2012.
Demolition of the Postal Service building that blocked track access to the concourse began in mid-March 2011.
Original Union Depot
There actually have been two Union Depots in St. Paul. The first was completed in 1881, and combined the services of several different railroads into one building (hence the "union"; see Union stationUnion station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...
). In 1888 the old station had its peak year, handling eight million passengers. That year, about 150 trains departed daily. Around this time, the building was remodeled with a taller central tower and other alterations to the roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
line.
The earlier train station burned in 1915.
Current building
The current structure was started in 1917, although it was not completed until 1923 because World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
caused construction to halt for several years.
During its heyday, the depot had nine railroads operating, with more than 20 million pieces of mail passing through the station to the neighboring St. Paul Central Downtown Post Office annually. At its peak in the 1920s, there were 282 train movements daily. The concourse had 9 platforms serving 18 tracks; the eight northern ones closest to the headhouse were stub-end tracks, while the other ten ran through. However, track ownership and trackage rights west of the station meant that most trains operated as though the station was a stub terminal. These trains, when they were intended to continue beyond the station, would instead back up to a wye just to the east to get to other main lines.
However, train ridership began to quickly erode in the 1920s as the automobile took hold and airlines began to operate. The railroads sought ways stem the flow of passengers and compete with these new forms of transportation. The Great Northern Railway introduced the Empire Builder
Empire Builder
The Empire Builder is a passenger train route operated by Amtrak in the Midwestern and Northwestern United States. It is Amtrak's busiest long-distance route and busiest daily train, carrying more than 500,000 travelers annually since 2007. Overall, it is the railroad's 10th-busiest line. Before...
in 1929 as the railroad's new premier train. As the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
unfolded, more aggressive moves were required. The streamliner
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
era in the United States began in 1934 with the introduction of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
Zephyr
Pioneer Zephyr
The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered railroad train formed of railroad cars permanently articulated together with Jacobs bogies, built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad , commonly known as the Burlington...
. After making a "Dawn-to-Dusk Dash" from Chicago to Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, the CB&Q's interest would soon turn to the Twin Cities. A demonstration run was completed in 6 hours and 4 minutes, including six one-minute stops. Other railroads were soon busy investigating how to run faster trains to Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Early high-speed trains
On January 2, 1935, high-speed express service to Chicago was introduced on the Chicago and North Western RailwayChicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
's 400
Twin Cities 400
The 400 was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago and Saint Paul, with a final stop in Minneapolis...
, cutting the scheduled time between the two cities from about 10 hours down to 7. At its inception, Time dubbed the 400, "the fastest train scheduled on the American Continent, fastest in all the world on a stretch over 200 mi." The C&NW had beaten two other railroads to the punch, which had been planning 6½ hour service to begin in the spring. The Milwaukee Road's Hiawatha
Twin Cities Hiawatha
The Twin Cities Hiawatha was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , and traveled from Chicago to the Twin Cities in Minnesota. The original train takes its name from the epic poem The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
and the Burlington Route
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...
's Twin Cities Zephyr
Twin Cities Zephyr
The Twin Cities Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train service of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad . It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q following the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset...
were introduced with 6½ hour service a few months later at the same time, and C&NW sped its trains to match the same schedule.
The Burlington Zephyrs were the first streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
diesel-electric trains to serve the Twin Cities, and originally ran in an articulated
Articulated car
Articulated cars are rail vehicles which are consist of a number of smaller, lighter cars which are semi-permanently attached to each other and which share common trucks. They are much longer than single passenger cars, and on the TGV Réseau, for example, 8 cars are joined this way...
configuration, like a modern TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
or the Acela Express
Acela Express
The Acela Express is Amtrak's high-speed rail service along the Northeast Corridor in the Northeast United States between Washington, D.C., and Boston via Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York...
. The 400 (now renamed the Twin Cities 400) followed in 1939, but using more conventional couplers to link passenger cars together. The Hiawatha had always been powered by a streamlined (or, in the terminology of the Milwaukee Road, "speedlined") steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. The Twin Cities Zephyrs added a second set of trains daily in 1936, becoming known as the Morning Zephyr and Afternoon Zephyr, respectively. The Hiawatha added a second set of trains in 1939, each known as the Morning Hiawatha and Afternoon Hiawatha.
The Morning Hiawatha may hold the record as the world's fastest steam train on two or more measures: The 78.3 miles (126 km) run from Sparta
Sparta, Wisconsin
Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 9,522 at the 2010 census.-Notable people:*William Hawley Atwell, U.S. District Court Judge in Texas*Larry Baumel, NASCAR...
to Portage, Wisconsin
Portage, Wisconsin
Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,662 at the 2010 census making it the largest city in Columbia County...
was scheduled for 58 minutes—an average of 81 miles per hour (130.4 km/h). Speeds up to and above 100 mph (160.9 km/h) were achieved on a daily basis, and the powerful Milwaukee Road class F7
Milwaukee Road class F7
The Milwaukee Road's class F7 comprised six high-speed, streamlined 4-6-4 "Baltic" or "Hudson" type steam locomotives built by ALCO in 1937–38 to haul the Milwaukee's Hiawatha express passenger trains...
engines (designed for a "reserve speed" of 125 mph (201.2 km/h)) likely ran more miles at or above 100 mph (160.9 km/h) than any other steam locomotives in history.
Burlington's diesel Zephyrs were also very fast, and they had to be—the Zephyr route was about 20 miles (32.2 km) longer than the competition. In southeastern Wisconsin, a stretch of track between stations required an average speed of 84.4 miles per hour (135.8 km/h).
Eventually, the Hiawathas and Zephyrs would run 6-hour schedules, with the 400 running a bit slower with 6¼-hour service. In the 1950s, the federal government began imposing stricter rules for high-speed operation, and expensive advanced signaling was installed along the routes to the Twin Cities, though trains generally slowed to a maximum of 90 to 100 mph (144.8 to 160.9 km/h). Unable to keep up with an increasing automobile speeds on an improving road network and other factors that kept passengers away from trains, train ridership declined and the five daily fast trains became unprofitable.
The end of service
The Twin Cities 400 was the first victim, ending service on July 23, 1963. The Burlington (later Burlington NorthernBurlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
) Zephyrs ended service on April 30, 1971, the same day the depot closed. The Afternoon Zephyr was the last train to serve the depot when it departed that evening bound for Minneapolis. At this time, this train was normally combined with the Empire Builder and North Coast Limited from Chicago to St. Paul, except on Fridays when it ran as a separate train. Since April 30 was a Friday, the Zephyr had the "honor" of being the last train to depart the station. Amtrak began operating the next day and changed the remaining Twin Cities trains to stop in Minneapolis instead, including the Hiawathas, which existed in various forms until the late 1970s.
Today, the expensive signaling enabling high speeds has been removed, and the Empire Builder respects a speed limit
Speed limits in the United States (rail)
Rail speed limits in the United States are regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration. Railroads also implement their own limits and enforce speed limits. Speed restrictions are based on a number of factors including curvature, signaling, track condition, the physical condition of a train,...
of 79 miles per hour (127.1 km/h), and takes 8 hours or more to travel from Midway station
Midway (Amtrak station)
Midway Station is the Amtrak train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota, so named after the Midway area which is roughly halfway between the downtowns of St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis. Its Amtrak station code is MSP and serves as the only intercity train station for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul...
to Chicago (although it does take about 20 minutes longer to go from Midway than it would from the Union Depot simply due to a longer route with urban speed restrictions).
The return of train traffic
Area boosters had long hoped that trains would return to the Union Depot, and plans gathered steam as the Blue LineHiawatha Line
The Hiawatha Line is a light rail corridor in Hennepin County, Minnesota that extends from downtown Minneapolis to the southern suburb of Bloomington. It was formerly known as the Hiawatha Line named after Hiawatha Avenue. Major connections on the line include the Minneapolis-St...
light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
project in Minneapolis drew toward completion. Planners hope to use the depot to make intercity connections for trains and Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
and Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines
Jefferson Lines is a regional intercity bus company operating in United States. The company's name originates in the Jefferson Highway, a north-south route in the early National Auto Trail system which once ran from Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, south to New Orleans, Louisiana. The service to...
buses while also using it as a hub for Metro Transit
Metro Transit (Minnesota)
Metro Transit is the transit division of the Metropolitan Council, a regional governmental agency in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Metro Transit is the largest operator of bus services in the seven-county region surrounding Minneapolis and St...
buses, light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
, and commuter rail.
The Empire Builder will be the first passenger train to return to the depot when it reopens in 2012, since it is the only intercity line serving the Twin Cities today. The Green Line
Central Corridor (Minnesota)
The Central Corridor is a light rail line under construction that is to cover the stretch between the downtown regions of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota...
light rail line will have its eastern terminus at the station when it opens in 2014, though its final eastern stop will be in front of the depot rather than at a platform under the concourse. Utility relocation work in preparation for the Central Corridor began in front of the depot on 4th Street in August 2009, well before the line received final funding or approval. Track will be laid in 2011–2012. While the Union Depot will be the eastern terminus of service, the tracks will continue beyond the station to the line's maintenance facility. The entire renovation project will cost about $237.5 million, of which $35 million will be provided by the US government through the TIGER
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery is a supplementary discretionary grant program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009...
program.
Red Rock Corridor
Red Rock Corridor
The Red Rock Corridor is a proposed commuter rail service that will go from downtown Minneapolis through neighboring Saint Paul and then southeast along the Mississippi River to Hastings, Minnesota, with a possible later extension to Red Wing...
commuter rail will open a few years after the Green Line, followed by the Rush Line and Gateway Corridor if commuter rail and/or light rail are chosen for these corridors. In 2010, the Minnesota Department of Transportation
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The Minnesota Department of Transportation oversees transportation by land, water, and air in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state's trunk highway system The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT, pronounced "min-dot") oversees...
also released a plan for regional rail stretching out from the Twin Cities to rural Minnesota and neighboring states, and at least some of the lines will run to Saint Paul.
New trains running at speeds above 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h) to Chicago have also been discussed since at least 1991, though plans have not moved very quickly. The Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
Midwest Regional Rail Initiative
The Chicago Hub Network is a collection of proposed fast conventional and high-speed rail lines in the Midwestern United States including of track. Since the 1990s, there have been multiple proposals to improve the links from Chicago, Illinois to major destinations including Indianapolis, Indiana,...
(MWRRI), led by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, abbreviated as WisDOT, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin responsible for planning, building and maintaining the state's highways...
, has proposed a link to the Twin Cities running at up to 110 mph (49.2 m/s). While not true high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
—conventional trains in neighboring Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
run at up to 105 mph (46.9 m/s), and it does not exceed the top speeds of historical trains—the MWRRI plan does suggest that the top speed would be maintained for significant distances, resulting in higher average speeds: The planned schedule time to Saint Paul would be just 5½ hours. Others including the French national railway SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
, which operates the TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
network, have proposed trains running at up to 220 mph (98.3 m/s).
Other notable trains to serve the depot
- Twin Star RocketTwin Star RocketThe Twin Star Rocket was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Introduced on January 14, 1945, it was the only new streamlined train permitted to enter service in World War II by the U.S. Government...
- Gopher and Badger
- North Coast LimitedNorth Coast LimitedThe North Coast Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Bismarck, North Dakota...
- Western Star
Other train stations in the Twin Cities
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train ShedChicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train ShedThe Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot Freight House and Train Shed , now officially named The Depot, is a historic railroad depot in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St...
- Minneapolis destination for Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, and Rock Island passenger trains - Chicago Great Western RailwayChicago Great Western RailwayThe Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad...
Station on south Washington Avenue - Minneapolis and St. Louis RailwayMinneapolis and St. Louis RailwayThe Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway was an American Class I railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota which existed for 90 years from 1870 to 1960....
Station on north 5th street - Minneapolis Great Northern DepotMinneapolis Great Northern DepotThe Minneapolis Great Northern Depot was a passenger train station that served Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978...
- Former Minneapolis destination for Chicago and Northwestern, Great Northern, and Northern Pacific passenger trains
Regional and enhanced-speed train proposals
- Chicago Hub Network
- Passenger rail projects in Minnesota
External links
- uniondepot.org: The website for the current renovation of the station
- regionalrail.org - News and information from Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority about the project and other transit lines that will serve the Union Depot.
- Ramsey County Historical Society
- Steve Glischinski photo of the Empire Builder and the depot – A good view of the concourse as used by the USPS
- Proposed light rail station design
- Comprehensive website on Lowertown Saint Paul