Minnesota’s Northstar commuter rail is slated to end in January, according to an update from MetroTransit. 

Earlier in 2025, MnDOT and the Metropolitan Council started reassessing the train service that connects Big Lake with downtown Minneapolis. Prior to the pandemic in 2019-20, approximately 2,000 to 3,000 people rode the trains on a daily basis, but — according to MPR News, that number fell to just a few hundred. In 2023, the line earned about $323,589 in fares but had operating costs of roughly $11.6 million. 

With declining ridership and rising costs, MetroTransit plans to replace the commuter trains with buses that will mostly follow the same route as Northstar. According to a presentation this past week, the last run will be on either Sat., Jan, 3, 2026, or Sun., Jan, 4, 2026, after the Minnesota Vikings’ last regular season game.

Northstar Commuter Rail service announced they will transition to more frequent bus service to offset the loss of the train. This change will allow Metro Transit to provide flexible bus service designed to meet diverse travel needs that better match post-pandemic travel patterns. They say they understand that this is a significant change for their riders and they want to make sure that the bus service they provide best meets the needs of the community in this corridor.

Originally, the commuter line was supposed to connect the Twin Cities with St. Cloud, but an extension beyond Big Lake never happened. Some say that’s why the service has never prospered. Ridership on Northstar also trails behind commuter services of similar size.

As Metro Transit designs a bus service plan, they are exploring options that provide service every 30 minutes during rush hours (6 – 8:30 a.m. and 4 – 6:30 p.m.) and every 60 minutes during the midday (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in both directions, serving stations between downtown Minneapolis and the Ramsey Station area. However, Metro Transit currently does not have the authority to operate buses to Big Lake or Elk River stations in Sherburne County. A date for transitioning from commuter rail to bus service has not yet been set.

Northstar was established in 2009 and operates on BNSF Railway trackage, which also manages it through its commuter rail division. (Besides Northstar, BNSF runs passenger trains for Metra in Illinois, Sounder in Washington, and Metrolink in California.)