Fridley (Metro Transit station)
Encyclopedia
Fridley Station is a commuter rail station in Fridley, Minnesota
, located at Main Street NE and 61st Avenue NE. It is served by the Northstar Commuter Rail line. The station features bicycle lockers and two park and ride lots with a total capacity of 611 spaces. The commute time to downtown Minneapolis from this station is about 14 minutes. The fare from this station to any station on the line is $3.25 on weekdays and $2.50 on weekends and holidays. The station has a single platform on one main track, which is accessible on either side of the tracks through an underground tunnel.
transcontinental railroad
travels through Fridley after leaving Minneapolis. It runs parallel to the Mississippi River
. The former Northern Pacific Railway
and Great Northern Railway parallel main lines form this double track main. Fridley had been served by a flag stop station at Mississippi Boulevard between East River Road and University Avenue
. The Minneapolis, Anoka and Cuyuna Range Railway, whose tracks ran along East River Road also had a station at Mississippi Boulevard.
With the elimination of commuter service to Anoka, Fridley had not been served by commuter rail. Metro Transit buses extend through Fridley.
The Fridley Station was planned as part of the Northstar Commuter rail project. The cost of construction was $9.9 million. The station was eliminated to save money because of a federal funding shortage. In late October 2008, the Counties Transit Improvement Board, which oversees spending of the new quarter-cent transit sales tax approved this year by the Minnesota state Legislature and five Twin Cities metro-area counties, decided to make the Fridley project one of its first funding priorities.
The connecting underground tunnel was completed by BNSF Railway crews over the Memorial Day weekend in May 2008 because the City of Fridley committed money to the project and spent $3.2 million to acquire 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) for parking.
. There are multiple rail sidings in the area on both sides of the double track main line. The current station has one platform, requiring the Northstar train to be on that track when traveling inbound to or outbound from Minneapolis. The eventual plan is that BNSF will construct a third main line in the area, running from East Interstate (the bridge over Interstate 694
) to Coon Creek Junction in Coon Rapids
. This is a Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant application submitted to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The third main line would improve capacity on the busiest rail corridor in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In July 2009, this segment hosted 63 trains per day, before the 12 daily trips for Northstar are added. At Coon Creek Junction, 12 trains per day cut off to the Duluth line. The completion of the third main line will include construction of the Foley Boulevard station and allow for 22 more passenger trains per day for Northstar, the proposed Northern Lights Express
, Amtrak
, and possibly other services.
Fridley, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,449 people, 11,328 households, and 7,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,701.3 people per square mile . There were 11,504 housing units at an average density of 1,132.1 per square mile...
, located at Main Street NE and 61st Avenue NE. It is served by the Northstar Commuter Rail line. The station features bicycle lockers and two park and ride lots with a total capacity of 611 spaces. The commute time to downtown Minneapolis from this station is about 14 minutes. The fare from this station to any station on the line is $3.25 on weekdays and $2.50 on weekends and holidays. The station has a single platform on one main track, which is accessible on either side of the tracks through an underground tunnel.
History
The doubled tracked main line for the BNSF RailwayBNSF 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...
transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
travels through Fridley after leaving Minneapolis. It runs parallel to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The former Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
and Great Northern Railway parallel main lines form this double track main. Fridley had been served by a flag stop station at Mississippi Boulevard between East River Road and University Avenue
University Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
University Avenue in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region of Minnesota begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before ending in Blaine,...
. The Minneapolis, Anoka and Cuyuna Range Railway, whose tracks ran along East River Road also had a station at Mississippi Boulevard.
With the elimination of commuter service to Anoka, Fridley had not been served by commuter rail. Metro Transit buses extend through Fridley.
The Fridley Station was planned as part of the Northstar Commuter rail project. The cost of construction was $9.9 million. The station was eliminated to save money because of a federal funding shortage. In late October 2008, the Counties Transit Improvement Board, which oversees spending of the new quarter-cent transit sales tax approved this year by the Minnesota state Legislature and five Twin Cities metro-area counties, decided to make the Fridley project one of its first funding priorities.
The connecting underground tunnel was completed by BNSF Railway crews over the Memorial Day weekend in May 2008 because the City of Fridley committed money to the project and spent $3.2 million to acquire 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) for parking.
Third main line
The Fridley station is at the westbound yard limit of the BNSF Railway Northtown classification yardClassification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
. There are multiple rail sidings in the area on both sides of the double track main line. The current station has one platform, requiring the Northstar train to be on that track when traveling inbound to or outbound from Minneapolis. The eventual plan is that BNSF will construct a third main line in the area, running from East Interstate (the bridge over Interstate 694
Interstate 694
Interstate 694 is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The western terminus of the route is at its junction with Interstate 94 and Interstate 494 in Maple Grove...
) to Coon Creek Junction in Coon Rapids
Coon Rapids, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,627 people, 22,578 households, and 16,572 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,718.1 people per square mile . There were 22,828 housing units at an average density of 1,007.2 per square mile...
. This is a Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant application submitted to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The third main line would improve capacity on the busiest rail corridor in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In July 2009, this segment hosted 63 trains per day, before the 12 daily trips for Northstar are added. At Coon Creek Junction, 12 trains per day cut off to the Duluth line. The completion of the third main line will include construction of the Foley Boulevard station and allow for 22 more passenger trains per day for Northstar, the proposed Northern Lights Express
Northern Lights Express
The Northern Lights Express is a proposed passenger rail service running along the corridor between Minneapolis and Duluth primarily in the U.S. state of Minnesota. A portion of the line will run through neighboring Wisconsin to serve Duluth's "Twin Port" of Superior. Plans are to upgrade an...
, 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...
, and possibly other services.