Merriam Park Subdivision

Canadian Pacific Railway Merriam Park Subdivision

Legend Minnesota Commercial Railway Minnesota Commercial/Canadian Pacific Short Line BridgeMississippi River Prospect Park Interstate 94 416.0 Merriam Parkto Minnesota Commercial/Midway station Interstate 94 Interstate 35E 412.0 Fordson Junctionto former Ford Twin Cities Assembly 411.2 Chestnut Streetto Union Pacific Mankato Subdivision Robert Streetto Union Pacific State Street Spur Saint Paul Union Depot to BNSF St. Paul Subdivision and Midway Subdivision and Union Pacific Altoona Subdivision 408.9 Hoffman Avenue 407.4 Pig's Eye Yard River Subdivision

The Canadian Pacific Railway Merriam Park Subdivision or Merriam Park Sub, also known as the Short Line, is a railway line in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which runs from Pig's Eye Yard and the CP River Subdivision in the east to the Short Line Bridge over the Mississippi River in the west, where rails continue as part of the Minnesota Commercial Railway.^[1] It was named for John L. Merriam, a Minnesota banker and politician.^[2] Completed by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in 1880, it shortened the route Milwaukee Road trains took between downtown Saint Paul and downtown Minneapolis. Previous trains would exit Saint Paul and follow the Mississippi River southwest until crossing at Fort Snelling where they would follow the path of today's Hiawatha Avenue (Minnesota State Highway 55) and METRO Blue Line toward the Milwaukee Road Depot. Originally built as an interurban route, it was eventually converted for heavy rail traffic because the Twin City Rapid Transit streetcar system had taken over the local transit market.

Passenger trains continued to use the Short Line into Minneapolis until 1971 when the Hiawatha stopped service with the formation of Amtrak.^[3] Amtrak's Empire Builder continues to use the eastern portion of this line today, but the train exits the subdivision to the north into Minnesota Commercial Railway trackage to reach Midway station in Saint Paul. Amtrak is expected to return to using the Saint Paul Union Depot in 2012, but will likely keep routing trains the same way.

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