Grand Forks, ND (GFK)

5555 DeMers Avenue
Grand Forks, ND 58201

Station Hours

Annual Ticket Revenue (FY 2023): $1,000,685
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2023): 9,863

• Ownerships
• Routes Served
• Contact
• Local Community Links

• Facility Ownership: Amtrak
• Parking Lot Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Platform Ownership: BNSF Railway
• Track Ownership: BNSF Railway

• Empire Builder

Ismael Cuevas
Regional Contact
governmentaffairschi@amtrak.com
For information about Amtrak fares and schedules, please visit Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL (1-800-872-7245).

• City of Grand Forks

The Grand Forks depot was built in 1982 to an Amtrak standard plan and therefore shares characteristics of other Amtrak depots from that era. The one story building is composed of variegated buff brick with a prominent cantilevered flat roof of black metal; deep eaves provide protection from inclement weather. The waiting room is lighted by sun which streams through large floor-to-ceiling windows.

In fall 2021, Amtrak completed a $4 million project to enhance accessibility at the Grand Forks station. The scope of work included construction of a 1,100-foot-long, 12-foot-wide concrete platform with a detectable warning system along its edge. The platform work was complemented with new signage, lighting, canopy upgrades and relocation of two wheelchair lift enclosures. Exterior improvements around the depot encompassed upgrades to the accessible parking area, a new passenger drop-off area in front of the building and walkways to/from the parking and around the depot.

Grand Forks began its growth as a city in 1880 due to the development of the Great Northern Railway (GN). It was always known as a vital and dynamic rail community and served as headquarters of the railroad’s Dakota Division.

The GN is considered to have been America’s premier northern trans-continental railroad, running from St. Paul, Minn., to Seattle. It was formed in 1889 by James J. Hill, who orchestrated the merger of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad with the St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Manitoba Railway. Hill holds a special place in railroad history and lore, and is known as the “Empire Builder.” Whereas most transcontinental lines were built with federal assistance in the form of federal land grants, the GN did not utilize this method.

Hill’s business acumen guided the planning and construction of the GN. Much of the upper Midwest and West was sparsely settled, so instead of racing across the continent, the GN developed the regions through which it traveled as it steadily moved toward the Pacific. This action helped settle the land and created a customer base. Hill the businessman actively sought to establish trade links with Asia, and the railroad is credited with putting sleepy Seattle on the map and transforming it into an important and powerful Pacific Ocean port after the railroad reached the West Coast in 1893.

Station Building (with waiting room)