Northstar Link, Metro Transit and BNSF Railway have teamed up to offer free rides on select bus and train trips this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 15, in exchange for donations to Toys for Tots.
For the commute on Friday morning, Dec. 14, and for the Holidazzle trip Saturday afternoon, Dec. 15, people boarding Northstar Link buses with new, unwrapped toys to donate will ride for free and receive a ticket for a free return trip.
U.S. Marines and BNSF employees who operate Northstar will be on hand at Target Field Station Friday to accept donations from Northstar commuters. In exchange for donations of new, unwrapped toys, riders will be given a pair of free Northstar train tickets to use at a later date. (Limit one pair of tickets per customer).
On Saturday, Dec. 15, those traveling on the special Northstar Holidazzle bus or train may ride free to and from any station with their Toys for Tots donations. To qualify for the free Holidazzle ride, one donation is needed for each Northstar customer. For example, a party of two adults and two children would ride free with a donation of four new unwrapped toys.
The Northstar Holidazzle Link Commuter Bus begins Saturday in downtown St. Cloud at 1:45 p.m. with three stops, arriving at Northstar Big Lake Station at 2:45 p.m. The train departs for downtown Minneapolis at 3:06 p.m. A Link schedule is available at www.CatchTheLink.com or by calling 877.LINK.010 (877-546-5010). It’s a free transfer to Hiawatha LRT to complete the trip to the parade route.
The return train trip will depart Target Field Station promptly at 8 p.m. The train schedule is available at www.metrotransit.org/northstar or by calling 612-373-3333.
“Take the stress out of your holidays by leaving the driving to Northstar Link and the train,” said Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority. “And, thanks for brightening the holidays for a child by donating a toy.”
The BNSF Railway Foundation is joining in the effort, providing a $2,000 contribution to Toys for Tots.
For more information about Toys for Tots, visit toysfortots.org.
Northstar is operated by Metro Transit, a service of the Metropolitan Council. Customers boarded Metro Transit buses and trains 81 million times last year.
BNSF Railway is one of North America’s leading freight transportation companies operating on 32,000 route miles of track in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. Learn more at BNSF.com.
Northstar Link is funded by the Northstar Corridor Development Authority, Sherburne and Stearns Counties. It is operated by Metro Bus in St. Cloud.