The Wayzata Subdivision or Wayzata Sub is a railway line that runs about 93 miles (149.7 km) from Willmar

Willmar, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,351 people, 7,302 households, and 4,461 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.9 people per square mile . There were 7,789 housing units at an average density of 657.8 per square mile...

 to Minneapolis, Minnesota

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...

. Currently operated by BNSF Railway

BNSF Railway

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...

, this was part of the Great Northern Railway's transcontinental line from Minneapolis to Seattle, Washington

Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

. Today, BNSF's Northern Transcon travels up the Staples Subdivision

Staples Subdivision

The Staples Subdivision or Staples Sub is a railway line running about from Dilworth to Fridley, Minnesota . It is operated by BNSF Railway as part of their Northern Transcon and contains the busiest segment of mainline track in the state, between Coon Rapids and Fridley...

 instead, which is a more direct route to Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo, North Dakota

Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...

. As of May, 2011, the route is of moderate capacity and typically sees around 15 trains per day.

U.S. Highway 12 closely follows the Wayzata Subdivision. At its western end in Willmar, there are connections to the Morris Subdivision

Morris Subdivision

The Morris Subdivision or Morris Sub is a railroad line that runs about from Breckenridge to Willmar, Minnesota. Currently operated by BNSF Railway, this was part of the Great Northern Railway's transcontinental line from Minneapolis to Seattle, Washington...

 to Breckenridge, Minnesota

Breckenridge, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,559 people, 1,438 households, and 911 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,516.4 people per square mile . There were 1,582 housing units at an average density of 674.0 per square mile...

 and the Marshall Subdivision to Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south...

. The line meets the Midway Subdivision

Midway Subdivision

The Midway Subdivision or Midway Sub is a railway line in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota on the BNSF Railway's Northern Transcon which runs from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle, Washington. This is former Great Northern Railway trackage, and now forms the southern set of BNSF tracks running...

 in Minneapolis at the eastern end.

Some Great Northern passenger trains ran along this line, though service was cut back to just 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...

upon the formation of 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...

 in 1971. Service to the Minneapolis Great Northern Depot

Minneapolis Great Northern Depot

The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot was a passenger train station that served Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978...

 stopped in the late 1978, when trains were shifted to 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...

 in Saint Paul

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 Empire Builder changed to its modern routing along the Staples Subdivision in late 1979 when the North Coast Hiawatha ended service.

There wasn't any passenger service on the line from that time until November 2009 when the Northstar commuter rail line began operation. The commuter train's southern terminus at Target Field station is at the extreme eastern end of the line. The Cedar Lake Trail

Cedar Lake Trail

The Cedar Lake Regional Trail is America's first bicycle freeway. It is a rail trail that runs about from downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota west to Minnesota State Highway 100 in the neighboring suburb of St. Louis Park. The trail was inaugurated on February 17, 1995. At the trail's west end,...

 bicycle route (and its continuation, the Hutchinson Spur) runs parallel to the Wayzata Sub from St. Louis Park into downtown Minneapolis along former Great Northern and Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway

The 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....

 right-of-way. The proposed Southwest Corridor 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...

line will briefly parallel the Wayzata Subdivision from the vicinity of Lyndale Junction to Cedar Lake Junction.