176 rail service terminated
Descriptions > Other backgrounds
Reprinted with Permission and published first at https://www.fixillinoisgovernment.com/
Minnesota is scrapping a commuter rail line. From 2009 then ending January 4, 2026 the Northstar Rail Line has been operating on a corridor between Big Lake Minnesota and downtown Minneapolis Minnesota. Two main reasons are the existing ridership losses and the price of government subsidy per rider.
In 2019 the subsidy was $20 per rider. It is now $115 per rider. The first trip was November 16, 2009. During the first year of operation the ridership was 78,782. Ridership the first full year in 2010 was 710,426 while it was projected 897,000. Ridership in 2019 was 767,500. Ridership peaked at 793,796 never reaching the 897,000. ridership started sinking bad in 2020, the virus year to 152,600 then fell to 50.433 in 2021. Post virus recovery is still less than the start of the virus in going to 77,076 in 2022, 97264 in 2023, and 127,400 in 2024.
Standard week day fares for the ride $6.25 from Big Lake decreasing to $4.75 in Elk River, $3.75 at Ramsey, then $3.25 the rest of the way. Standard weekend fares are $5.00 from Big Lake, $4.75 from Elk River, $3.25 at Anoka and Coon Rapids, then $3.25 from the rest. There are also special discounts on weekends for Seniors, Youth 6-12 and Medicare. All times for persons with disabilities. There is also a Transit assistance program for low income customers.
The Northstar is a heavy rail system using existing freight tracks which are maintained by BNSF freight rail. Traditionally the freight trains are given preference in scheduling from the commuter trains. This is one of the factors that contributed to a limited run of passenger trains. Also, the original plan was to have the train go to Rice Minnesota with a stop in St. Cloud, but lack of dual rails part of the way and the refusal of BNSF to build the additional track stopped the line at Big Lake. Track supply and the analogue nature of rail is one of the reasons for the limed scheduling of 40 trips per week or just under 6 trips per day.
This lack of ridership along with the lack of scheduling flexibility and the flexibility of using smaller buses compared to larger more costly to run and less route flexible trains seems to be the big factor with the Northstar Rail Line terminating and being converted to busses. Current system changes means there will be almost 400 bus trips per week, quoting the Notrhstar Metro Transit site “This expanded service is designed to better match current travel patterns, offering more flexibility at a lower cost to operate.”
I lived in Big Lake for a number of years in the 1990’s. I commuted to downtown St. Paul for most of two years and had a car pool with two riders of which I did the majority of driving in my 1989 Geo Metro. The distance we are talking here would be more of a Davenport to Iowa City than a Moline to Chicago.
The State of Illinois is throwing $475 million to make a train from Moline to Chicago. If Minnesota cannot make train technology work for a one hour drive, how does Illinois expect to make it work for a two and a half hour drive when busses would used the same time factor and have more flexibility in routes?
There is a historical glamour to rail travel. There was a time that rail travel was the technology. However, this time, other methods of travel need to be considered.
