The station is located at 555 East Saint Germain Street on the east side of the Mississippi River in the middle of a wye that links to the St. Cloud Rail Bridge.[1] The depot is easily accessible from US 10 by taking the SH 23 interchange (toward St. Cloud) and heading southwest on 3rd Street Southeast (SH 23), then north-northwest on Lincoln Avenue Southeast, then southeast on East Saint Germain Street, and finally north-northwest again on the station access road (immediately after crossing the tracks). There is an enclosed waiting room (with restrooms) available daily from 4:00 am to 6:00 am and from 11:30 pm to 1:15 am (early the next morning), with a caretaker opening and closing the depot. It has neither ticketing office, ticket counter, nor a Quik-Trak kiosk. No other services are provided at the station (i.e., baggage, lounge, pay phone, etc.).[1] The tracks, platform, depot building, and parking lot are all owned by the BNSF Railway.[2]
History
It was built in 1909 by the Northern Pacific Railway.[7] The depot is constructed of brown pressed brick with grey granite trim.[2]
The St. Cloud station was served by the North Coast Hiawatha, with service from Chicago to Seattle from 1971 until the train was discontinued in 1979. The next westbound stop for the North Coast Hiawatha was in Staples and the next eastbound stop was in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[8] When the North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued in 1979, the Empire Builder was rerouted away from Willmar, Minnesota to St. Cloud and has served the station continuously since then.[4][8][9] The next westbound stop for the Empire Builder is also in Staples and the next eastbound stop is in Saint Paul.[4][9] However, in 2014, Amtrak service in Saint Paul was moved from the Midway Station to the Saint Paul Union Depot.[4][10]
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.[11] New station platforms, walkways, lighting, and other accessibility improvements will be constructed between Amtrak's fiscal year 2024 and 2026.[12]
Future service
The Northstarcommuter rail service was originally planned to originate in Rice, Minnesota and serve the St. Cloud station,[13] but was cut back to Big Lake. On November 8, 2010, it was announced that extension of the line to St. Cloud had been indefinitely delayed, as projected ridership is not sufficient to qualify for federal funding.[14]
The station was considered as a possible endpoint for the Borealis service that started running in 2024, but it began operation with its western terminus in St. Paul.[15] 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,[16] a service that would include stops at St. Cloud station.
Notes
^As of May 7, 2014, the Empire Builder westbound trains (Trains 7 & 27) are scheduled to stop at 12:40 am and the eastbound trains (Trains 8 & 28) are scheduled to stop at 4:44 am.[4]
^For over twenty-five years prior to May 7, 2014, the next eastbound stop was at the Midway station, located west of the Saint Paul Union Depot.[5] The Empire Builder was to continue to stop at the Midway station for servicing, but passengers will not be allowed to board or disembark.[6] Amtrak is being encouraged to restore service to the Midway Station in addition to the new service to the Saint Paul Depot.[6]
^ ab"What's New". www.allaboardmn.org. All Aboard Minnesota. 2014. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 19, 2014. Amtrak plans to stop the Empire Builder at Midway each day to water and service the train and add/drop off coaches and private cars.
