The line served as a connection point, with several lines heading west at Northtown, and connections to Chicago at St. Paul.
The railroad became part of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1896, which had constructed many lines expanding to the west coast.
The railroad continued to serve as a mainline, being double tracked very soon after construction.
By 1970, the NP merged with rival Great Northern, as well as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern.
BN continued to maintain this as a high priority line. By 1996, the BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway.
BNSF continues to operate this line as the St. Paul Subdivision, and is the busiest section of track in Minnesota.
06/26/21
This standard deck girder and concrete slab bridge once crossed Central Avenue (MN-65) in Northeast Minneapolis.
Built in 1924, this bridge is a typical depression era grade separation. Featuring main deck girder spans concealed by fascia, with slab approaches, the bridge sits on typical concrete art deco piers.
Overall, the bridge appeared to be in fair condition at time of demolition. It was replaced by a modern through girder in 2014.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.