Ramsey County History – Fall 2006: “A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern”

A Little Known Railway That Couldn’t: The St. Paul Southern
Author: John W. Diers

The St. Paul Southern Electric Railway, an obscure “electric interurban,” was built to connect the Twin Cities with several southern Minnesota cities. This form of mass transit was developed in other parts of the United States but came late to Minnesota. It opened on November 17, 1914, and went as far as Hastings, which hailed its arrival. While there were plans to connect with Rochester and other sites, the line went no further. Unfortunately, casual riders, commuters, salesmen, and fishermen never provided enough revenue to meet expenses. In its best years, the line barely broke even. The increasing popularity of cars and use of bus travel was impossible to overcome and, by July 1928, the company’s assets were sold for scrap.
PDF of Diers article