Finally….common sense prevails

I see they are talking about finally folding up the Northstar rail service from Big Lake into the cities. What a colossal waste of money.

I used it for a few years before covid when I worked down town. Pretty slick actually. Only took 25mins from the anoka stop vs an hour of traffic but I agree after covid its pretty much a waste.

thought they were just gonna kick that down the road a bit????

or is that a different line????

Was just a few years ago they talked about extending it to Rice! Youbetcha, how full(or empty) were the cars on average?

Very full honestly. Had way more trips too. No clue if it made money but it was pretty busy.

Was honestly curious. That surprises me.

They are considering swapping it to a bus line.

But here’s some stats

“In 2019, the Northstar Line carried 767,768 passengers and operated seven days a week. After COVID-19 hit, Metro Transit cut back Northstar’s daily round trips and eliminated weekend service. Annual ridership plummeted to 50,433 in 2021. As Northstar gradually added trips, that number had nearly doubled to 97,265 by 2023”

https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/leaders-consider-bus-route-to-replace-struggling-northstar-line/

I don’t care how many they haul it’ll never make a nickle. When I rode it you paid on the honor system. Nobody on the train at all collecting funds or making people pay. I really wonder how many paid. I’ve read thats also a major problem on the other lines as well as the crime.