Staples station

Not to be confused with Staple railway station.
Staples, MN
The Staples depot from the south-southeast
General information
LocationFirst & Fourth Avenues
Staples, Minnesota
United States
Coordinates46°21′16″N 94°47′43″W / 46.35444°N 94.79528°W / 46.35444; -94.79528
Line(s)BNSF Staples Subdivision
Platforms1 side platform (1 island platform removed)
Tracks3
Construction
ParkingYes
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeAmtrak: SPL
History
Opened1909
Passengers
FY 20235,931[1] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Detroit Lakes
toward Seattle or Portland
 Empire Builder St. Cloud
toward Chicago
Former services
Preceding station Northern Pacific Railway Following station
Aldrich
toward Seattle or Tacoma
 Main Line Philbrook
toward St. Paul
Wadena
toward Winnipeg
 Winnipeg – St. Paul Little Falls
toward St. Paul
Terminus Staples – Duluth Hayden
toward Duluth
Northern Pacific Railway Depot and Freighthouse
Built1902
ArchitectNorthern Pacific Railway Engineering Dept
Architectural styleClassic Revival
NRHP reference No.85003613[2]
Added to NRHPJune 13, 2008[3]
Location
Map

Staples station is an Amtrak intercity train station in Staples, Minnesota, United States, served by Amtrak's daily Empire Builder service. It was built in December 1909 by the Northern Pacific Railway. The architects of the station were Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem, who also designed the Northern Pacific's King Street Station in Seattle, Washington, and the New York Central Railroad's Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

In the mid-2000s the city began negotiations with BNSF with the intent to purchase and rehabilitate the depot, which was largely empty and not well maintained. The sale was finalized in February 2008 and the depot is now owned and managed by the Staples Historical Society (SHS). Since then the SHS has undertaken a handful of important improvement projects, such as installing a new roof and repairing historic windows. The group is also searching for funding to undertake a full-scale rehabilitation of the interior and mechanical systems. Ultimately the SHS hopes to restore the second floor so that it can house the Staples Historical Society Museum. The local chamber of commerce currently occupies the ticket office adjacent to the waiting room.[4]

The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 2008.[3]

The station is one of three in Minnesota and 78 across the Amtrak network listed in a 2021 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over inaccessible facilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.[5] Under the ADA Stations Program (ADASP), Amtrak plans to update the station with new platforms, walkways, railings, signage and other improvements by the company's fiscal year 2026.[6]

In 2023, $4 million was included in the Minnesota state budget to study a daytime train service between the Twin Cities and Fargo, North Dakota,[7] a service that would include stops at Staples station.

References

  1. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Minnesota" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ Todd County Listings at the National Register of Historic Places
  3. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Listings". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-06-13.
  4. ^ "Staples Station". Amtrak's Great American Stations. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  5. ^ "$2.25 Million Fund Available in Justice Department Settlement with Amtrak" (Press release). U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs. January 29, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "Amtrak Fact Sheet, Fiscal Year 2023: State of Minnesota" (PDF). Amtrak. March 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  7. ^ Teigen, Danielle A. (June 7, 2023). "Commuter train from Fargo to St. Paul would include additional stops in Detroit Lakes, Staples". Detroit Lakes Tribune. Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

Media related to Staples station at Wikimedia Commons