What a sorry disappointment this morning (Feb. 25) when I read an online news story about the Northstar Commuter Rail service maybe ending, to be replaced with a commuter bus service.
The reason? Ridership numbers on Northstar just haven’t measured up to what was estimated when the rail service started in 2009 between Big Lake and Minneapolis. In fact, a slight decline in ridership began starting in 2019.
Northstar is operated by Metro Transit and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway on its tracks and its right-of-way.
The initial impetus for Northstar was to serve mainly as a commuter transportation mode for people going to and from jobs in the Twin Cities or at stops along the way – Fridley, Coon Rapids, Anoka, Ramsey, Elk River and at the north end, the St. Cloud area.
Years ago, initial plans were for the Northstar line to connect St. Cloud to Minneapolis. For a number of reasons, that plan was abandoned, instead making Big Lake the line’s northern stop.
A joint statement was released Feb. 24 by the Metropolitan Council and the Minnesota Department of Transportation, announcing they are “beginning to explore transitioning to bus service.”
I’ve traveled on the Northstar line only twice. Years ago, I drove to Big Lake and got aboard to go to Minneapolis to see a historic art exhibit of the paintings of French master Henri Matisse. Some years after that, a neighbor of mine and members of the Sartell Senior Connection rode the train to participate in a walking tour set up by the Sartell Senior Connection. We visited the old Pillsbury Flour Mill (now a museum), a restaurant and the Guthrie Theater.
Riding the Northstar line those two times was an enjoyable experience – watching the blur of scenery going past, chatting pleasantly with other passengers, knowing I wouldn’t have a flat tire or become a victim (or a perpetrator) of a car accident. Riding Northstar reminded me so much of the trains I rode through Europe in May 1981. Train travel there was so comfortable, so accessible, so efficient and always right on time for arrivals and departures.
What a shame Northstar planners could not have made St. Cloud its northern terminus. With the large population of the greater St. Cloud area, ridership numbers might have soared and remained at sustainable levels to make the line economically feasible. Alas, that was not to be.
Years ago, I was so looking forward to a Northstar train stop in St. Cloud so I could take it to trips in the Twin Cities for special events, theater productions, museums and restaurants. Years ago, I had become leery of driving in busy, fast-paced Minneapolis traffic. A rail line to St. Cloud, I figured, would be the perfect solution. Alas, that was not to be.
Northstar is called a “commuter” rail line, and of course it is to a large degree, but non-commuters like myself would like the convenience of having it as a travel option. In a pinch, we in the St. Cloud area could always drive to Big Lake to board the train, park our cars there at that city’s rail terminus, as I did twice. Then, after our trip, hop in our cars and drive home.
If and when Northstar is discontinued, we in this area could, I suppose, use the commuter bus line when and if it’s developed – to Big Lake. But wouldn’t it be nice if that bus service reaches farther north – to St. Cloud?
I know many people, especially older ones, who would love to go the Twin Cities now and then to enjoy events, but they won’t because, like me, they don’t like driving there. And those people are not all elderly, like me. Some are quite young but dread big-city driving. I’ve heard so many say to me through the years, “If only that Northstar line would extend to St. Cloud.”
To which I would always respond, “Yeah, tell me about it! You and me both.”
