Northstar Rail Line Bids Farewell As Bus Service Takes Over

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- It looks like it's the end of the line for the Northstar Commuter Rail line.

On Wednesday afternoon, Metropolitan Council members will review plans to transition Northstar Commuter Rail service to enhanced coach bus service.

Officials say it costs more to provide 40 weekly trips in 2025 than it did to provide 72 weekly trips in 2019, with an operating budget of $18.6 million this year compared to $17.5 million in 2019.

Northstar's average weekly ridership numbers were just 435 passengers in 2024, compared to 2,660 average weekday riders before the pandemic.

The Metropolitan Council says the timing for the transition from rail to bus will be on January 5th. The last train will roll down the tracks on Saturday, January 3rd, or Sunday, January 4th, after the final Minnesota Vikings game. The last weekday commuter rail service will be January 2nd.

As of right now, the planned Northstar Bus Service will travel as far north as Ramsey, with no planned stops in either Elk River or Big Lake.

The Northstar Commuter Rail's on-time performance rate has been 93 percent.

Metro Transit owns 18 commuter rail cars and six commuter rail locomotives.

The Northstar Commuter Rail Line began in 2009 and includes a North Star Bus Link from St. Cloud to Big Lake.

Metro Bus in St. Cloud has released a statement that its bus service connecting residents in St. Cloud and Becker to the Commuter Rail in Big Lake will end on January 2nd when the rail line ends its service.