Hinckley Subdivision

Hinckley Subdivision
A BNSF EMD SD70ACe leads an empty taconite train through Nickerson, Minnesota.
Overview
Owner	BNSF Railway
Service
Type	Freight rail
Operator(s)	BNSF Railway
Technical
Line length	136.9 mi (220.3 km)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed	50 mph (80 km/h)
Route map v t e Legend to Lakes Subdivision 11.8 Boylston Lakes Subdivision 24.5 Foxboro, Wisconsin Wisconsin/Minnesota border Holyoke, Minnesota 36.6 Nickerson St. Lawrence River Divide Duquette Kerrick 48.9 Bruno 57.2 Askov Kettle River 63.1 Sandstone 72.3 Hinckley to St. Croix Valley RR, old NP line 80.1 Brook Park 80.5 Mora Junction former Great Northern Henriette 91.3 Grasston Snake River 96.7 Braham 107.4 Cambridge 113.0 Isanti 119.0 Bethel 125.2 Cedar 131.0 Andover 136.9 Coon Creek Staples Subdivision Staples Subdivision

The Hinckley Subdivision is a railway line that connects the Twin Cities to the Twin Ports in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Historically owned by the Great Northern Railway until 1970 and then the Burlington Northern Railroad until 1995–1996, it is now owned by BNSF Railway. The line branches north from the Staples Subdivision at Coon Creek junction in Coon Rapids, MN,^[1] and ends at Boylston junction between Foxboro and Superior, Wisconsin. There, the tracks meet the Lakes Subdivision from north-central Minnesota that bring trains into the Duluth–Superior area.^[2][3]

The Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City railroads also have trackage rights on the line and run their own trains along it. Canadian National Railway previously had trackage rights on the line, but now operate trains on the Superior Subdivision line of their subsidiary Wisconsin Central Railway between the Twin Ports area and Stevens Point, Wisconsin.