Midway is a former
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
intercity
train station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...
in the
Midway neighborhood of
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 ...
, United States. It was last served by Amtrak's daily ''
Empire Builder
The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily 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 Northe ...
'' (with service from
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
to
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
or
Portland,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
) and, for a time, by the ''
North Star
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude tha ...
'' (with service from Chicago, and later from this station, to
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
), as well as briefly by the ''
North Coast Hiawatha
The ''North Coast Hiawatha'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. Operating from 1971 to 1979, the train was a successor to the Northern Pacific Railway's ''North Coast Limited ...
'' (with service from Chicago to Seattle).
It was one of the first new stations, designated as a "Type 300A" design, built under the
Amtrak Standard Stations Program
The Amtrak Standard Stations Program was an effort by Amtrak to create a standardized station design." The railroad launched the effort in 1978 to reduce costs, speed construction, and improve its corporate image.
Background
When Amtrak was fou ...
in 1978. The only other station constructed to "Type 300A" design,
Miami station, opened three months later and remains in operation today.
The Midway station was closed for passenger service on May 7, 2014, with passenger service being moved to the restored
Saint Paul Union Depot
Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services.
I ...
. For a time after its closure the station was still used to service the ''Empire Builder'' but was later abandoned. As part of the
TCMC project, the facility could potentially be reactivated as a crew base and for equipment servicing.
Description
![Minneapolis St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Minneapolis_St._Paul_-_Amtrak_Station_%286251538066%29.jpg)
The Midway station is located at 730 Transfer Road
and is named after the
Midway area of Saint Paul. Its Amtrak
station code
A station code is a brief, standardised abbreviation, or alphanumeric code
Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters. More specifically, they are the collection of Latin letters an ...
was MSP
and from 1978 to 2014 it served as the only
intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
train station for the
Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. The station can be easily accessed from
I‑94/
US‑12/
US‑52. The station has an elevation of .
Prior to closing for passenger service, the station offered an indoor waiting area, ticketing service and a Quik-Trak kiosk, restrooms,
payphones, baggage assistance, and checked baggage. Free long and short parking was also available.
Station hours were from 6:00 am to 11:45 pm daily.
The station is located next to tracks owned by the
Minnesota Commercial Railway and marks a division point between running on the
Canadian Pacific Railway (former
Milwaukee Road tracks between Chicago and St. Paul) and the
BNSF Railway (former
Great Northern Railway tracks between Minneapolis and Seattle.) There are two platforms at the station, though the ''Empire Builder'' only used the side platform nearest the station building. There is a second island platform that serves two tracks, but it was rarely used. There are also two spurs behind the main platform which are used for storage and display of historic train cars.
Of the six Minnesota stations served by Amtrak, Midway was the busiest for the
Fiscal Year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...
2013 (its last full year of service), boarding or detraining an average of approximately 321 passengers daily (more than twice the ridership all other Minnesota stations combined).
History
![Midway station construction, October 1977](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Midway_station_construction%2C_October_1977.png)
When it opened on March 1, 1978, Midway station replaced
Minneapolis Great Northern Depot as the sole intercity station in the Twin Cities. Amtrak had opted to consolidate all of its Twin Cities services in Minneapolis when it began operation in 1971, shuttering the
Saint Paul Union Depot
Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services.
I ...
.
The Great Northern Depot was later demolished.
![Minneapolis St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Minneapolis_St._Paul_-_Amtrak_Station_%286251527662%29.jpg)
The primary rail service at this station for most of its existence was the ''
Empire Builder
The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily 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 Northe ...
'', named to honor Saint Paul-based mogul
James J. Hill
James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...
who constructed the
Great Northern Railway, and whose nickname was "The Empire Builder". Westbound trains head for
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...
(and then split before continuing on to either
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
or
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
) while eastbound trains head for Chicago. There were several intermittent stops between. The next westbound stop for the ''Empire Builder'' was in
St. Cloud and the next eastbound stop was in
Red Wing, both in Minnesota. About one-eighth of ''Empire Builder'' passengers boarded or arrived at this station.
After opening in 1978, the station briefly served the ''
North Coast Hiawatha
The ''North Coast Hiawatha'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. Operating from 1971 to 1979, the train was a successor to the Northern Pacific Railway's ''North Coast Limited ...
'' until that service ended in 1979. The ''North Coast Hiawatha'' ran three times per week from Chicago to Seattle with the next westbound stop having also been in St. Cloud and the next eastbound stop having also been in Red Wing. The station was also served by the ''
North Star
Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude tha ...
'' with services to Chicago and
Duluth
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
, with the stop having been in
Cambridge, Minnesota
Cambridge is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Minnesota State Highways 65 and 95. The population was 9,611 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Isanti County. It is located along the Rum Riv ...
and the next southbound stop having been in Red Wing until serviced was truncated from Chicago to this station in 1981. After the ''North Star'' was discontinued in 1985, Amtrak has continued service to Duluth with its
Thruway Motorcoach
Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, tran ...
service.
On May 7, 2014, Amtrak moved its Twin Cities-area stop to the renovated and reopened Saint Paul Union Depot.
After a short time of Midway station being closed to the public, but still serving as a service stop for the ''Empire Builder,'' the building was abandoned, ending up on St. Paul's vacant property listings.
As part of the
TCMC project, the station is noted as being a potential improvement if deemed necessary by Amtrak. Under the proposal the station would be converted to a
layover facility, serving as a crew base, light servicing, cleaning, and kitchen. The $53 million project is currently in final design work, with construction to begin in 2023 and operational in 2024.
See also
*
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
*
* ''
Empire Builder
The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily 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 Northe ...
''
*
Minneapolis Great Northern Depot
* ''
North Coast Hiawatha
The ''North Coast Hiawatha'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. Operating from 1971 to 1979, the train was a successor to the Northern Pacific Railway's ''North Coast Limited ...
''
*
''North Star'' (Amtrak train)
*
Saint Paul Union Depot
Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services.
I ...
Notes
References
External links
Amtrak – Stations – St. Paul, MN – Minneapolis archived page on web.archive.org (10 Feb 2014)
St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN (MSP)--Great American Stations (Amtrak) archived page on web.archive.org (2 Nov 2012)
*
ttp://subwaynut.com/amtrak/stpaul/index.html Minneapolis-St. Paul's Midway Station on subwaynut.comMarch 2004 Photo by Greg Smith(Amtrak Photo Archives)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Midway (Amtrak station)
Railway stations in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Former Amtrak stations in Minnesota
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1978
Railway stations closed in 2014