Amtrak’s Empire Builder runs daily from St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot to Fargo in about 5 hours.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
For the train from Minneapolis to Fargo, ND, the practical detail that matters most is the departure station: Amtrak boards in St. Paul, not downtown Minneapolis. The train is the Empire Builder, and the westbound ride is direct to Fargo with no train change.
The schedule is useful but awkward. The Minneapolis-area departure is late at night, and the Fargo arrival is before sunrise. That timing can work well if you want to sleep, avoid winter driving, or skip a rental car for the route, but it is not the right choice if you need a normal daytime arrival.
Once the overnight timing works for your trip, compare the train with bus and road options here:
Minneapolis To Fargo By Train: Schedule, Cost, And Comfort
The Minneapolis to Fargo train is a direct Amtrak Empire Builder ride with one late-night westbound departure from St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot and a scheduled early-morning arrival in Fargo. Coach is the sensible choice for most travelers because the ride is only about five hours.
Amtrak may show Train 7 or Train 27 on this segment. Between St. Paul-Minneapolis and Fargo, those train numbers share the same scheduled stop pattern, so the traveler experience is the same: board at Union Depot, pass St. Cloud, Staples, and Detroit Lakes, then arrive at Fargo Station.
Coach seats are the normal value play on this route. A sleeper can price far above the value of a short overnight segment, and the early Fargo arrival means you may not get enough rest to justify paying much more.
How Long Does The Minneapolis To Fargo Train Take?
The westbound Amtrak schedule is about 5 hours from St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot to Fargo. The current Amtrak Empire Builder timetable lists a daily 11:13 p.m. departure from St. Paul-Minneapolis and a 4:13 a.m. arrival in Fargo.
The return direction is also overnight-heavy. Eastbound Empire Builder service leaves Fargo in the early morning and reaches St. Paul-Minneapolis later that morning, so the train works better for point-to-point travel than for a same-day out-and-back trip.
Timing tip: The station code MSP on Amtrak means St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot, not Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Route Choices From Minneapolis To Fargo
The train is the easiest no-driving option, but it is not the fastest door-to-door choice from Minneapolis. Driving wins on pure time, while the bus can price well when its schedule lines up with your plans.
| Option | Typical Time | Cost Picture |
|---|---|---|
| Amtrak Empire Builder train | 5h scheduled from Union Depot to Fargo | Dynamic coach fare; recent public searches often land around $60-$100+ |
| Drive via I-94 | About 3h20-3h45 for roughly 234-236 miles | Fuel cost if using your own car; parking after arrival may add cost |
| Jefferson Lines bus | About 5h25-7h35 on checked departures | Recent public searches often show about $50-$100 |
| Nonstop MSP-FAR flight | About 1h05-1h25 in the air, longer with airport time | Often higher than the train once bags and airport transfers are added |
| One-way rental car | About 3h30 driving, plus pickup and return time | Rental rate, fuel, and any one-way fee |
| Private transfer | About 3h30 by road | Usually several hundred dollars; better for groups than solo travelers |
| Rideshare or carpool | About 3h30 if matched | Highly variable and not reliable for late-night travel |
Amtrak fares move with demand, travel date, and remaining seat inventory. Check the live fare before you build the rest of your plan around the train, since a cheap coach seat and a last-minute coach seat can feel like two different products.
Boarding At St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot
The Fargo train boards at St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot, not at a downtown Minneapolis rail terminal. Travelers starting in Minneapolis need to budget time to reach Lowertown St. Paul before the late-night departure.
Rideshare is the simplest transfer if you have luggage or are leaving from a hotel. Metro Transit’s Green Line can also connect Minneapolis and St. Paul, but late-evening service, maintenance work, and station access can change, so verify the final leg before departure day.
- Origin station: St. Paul-Minneapolis Union Depot, station code MSP.
- Destination station: Fargo, station code FAR, at 420 4th Street North.
- Main risk: late departure plus early arrival, not route complexity.
- Smart buffer: arrive early enough to find the waiting area, platform information, and any baggage process.
Should You Take The Train Or Drive?
Driving is faster from Minneapolis to Fargo, but the train is easier when you do not want to handle I-94 at night, in snow, or after a long workday. The better choice depends on arrival time, weather, luggage, and whether you need a car in Fargo.
The train makes sense for solo travelers who value rest over speed. The car makes sense for families, travelers carrying bulky gear, or anyone heading beyond central Fargo after arrival.
Flying is rarely the cleanest choice for this short city pair unless the airfare is low and the schedule saves a meeting or event. The flight is short in the air, but airport arrival time, security, baggage, and the ride from Hector International Airport can erase much of the speed advantage.
Where To Stay After Arriving In Fargo
Fargo arrivals happen before sunrise, so the easiest hotel choice is usually downtown Fargo or a property that can confirm how early-morning arrival works. A hotel near downtown keeps the 4:13 a.m. station arrival from turning into a long wait with luggage.
Call the hotel if you need immediate room access after the train arrives. Many properties treat early check-in as a request, not a guarantee, so the safest plan is booking the prior night when sleep matters more than saving one night’s rate.
To compare hotels near the station area and downtown Fargo before choosing the overnight train, use the map here:
Pick The Minneapolis To Fargo Option That Fits Your Trip
The right Minneapolis to Fargo choice is the train for a simple overnight ride, the car for fastest door-to-door travel, and the flight only when a tight schedule beats cost. The bus is the fallback when its price and daytime timing are better than Amtrak’s late-night schedule.
- Pick Amtrak if you want a direct, no-driving ride and can handle a 4:13 a.m. Fargo arrival.
- Drive if you need daylight control, multiple stops, or a vehicle after reaching Fargo.
- Take the bus if the fare is lower and the departure time fits your day better than the train.
- Fly if the nonstop fare is reasonable and the time saved is worth the airport process.
The train from the Minneapolis area to Fargo is simple once you understand the two trade-offs: it leaves from St. Paul, and it arrives very early. If those details work, the Empire Builder is the most straightforward rail option between the Twin Cities and eastern North Dakota.
References & Sources
- Amtrak.“Empire Builder Route Timetable.”Provides the current scheduled St. Paul-Minneapolis to Fargo departure and arrival times used for the route timing.