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Northstar Commuter Rail: Ready to roll on Nov. 16

After 12 years of study, planning, design and – finally – construction, the trains are nearly ready to roll.

Peter Bell, chair of the Metropolitan Council, announced in August that the Northstar Commuter Rail Line will begin passenger service on Monday, Nov. 16.  It will be the state’s first commuter rail line.

Council Chair Peter Bell announces the opening date of Northstar Commuter Rail service, Nov. 16.

“The Northstar line is the next reality in the Met Council’s vision for improved transit in our region,” Bell said. “This vision includes more rail services, bus rapid transit initiatives, and even more robust local and express bus operations.”

Bell was joined at the announcement by Dan Erhart, chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority; Peter McLaughlin, chair of the Counties Transit Improvement Board; Khani Sahebjam, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and Brian Lamb, general manager of Metro Transit.

A hassle-free option for commuters

The 40-mile, $317 million line will provide a fast, new, hassle-free alternative for commuters in the heavily traveled corridor between Big Lake in Sherburne County and a new multimodal station adjacent to the new Twins ballpark in downtown Minneapolis. That station also will serve the existing Hiawatha light-rail transit (LRT) line and the new Central Corridor LRT line, which is scheduled for construction starting in 2010.

With a gleaming, blue and yellow train in the background, Bell told a phalanx of reporters and photographers, “We are here today to meet Minnesota’s new star – the Northstar Commuter Rail Line.”

A Northstar train waits on the tracks at the Downtown Minneapolis Ballpark Station.

“Today’s announcement is huge news in the Northstar corridor,” said Erhart, an Anoka County commissioner and an early backer of the project. “For more than a dozen years, local elected officials, business people and residents stayed focused on one thing – building Northstar commuter rail. Now, thanks to their commitment and the hard work of our partners, we’re only 11 weeks away from service launch.”

Five roundtrips weekdays, three roundtrips weekends

Northstar will offer five morning trips and five return trips in the afternoon on weekdays, with one reverse commute trip each morning and afternoon. On weekends, it will provide three roundtrips on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Trains will travel at speeds of up to 79 miles per hour, making the trip from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis in about 50 minutes.

Each train will consist of a locomotive and four passenger cars, with each car seating about 140 customers.  Passenger cars have three seating levels, work tables, electrical outlets and an on-board restroom.  Each car can accommodate two bicycles and is fully accessible for persons with disabilities.

A sign on Fifth St. at the new northern terminus of Hiawatha LRT guides commuters into the station where they will go to the lower level to catch Northstar Commuter Rail.

Six stations, varying fares depending on distance

The line will be served by six stations – in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and Minneapolis. Each suburban station has adjacent park-and-ride facilities, and platforms are equipped with cameras, emergency telephones, enclosed shelters, heating and other amenities.

Fares for Northstar service range from $3.25 to $7 each way depending on the distance traveled.  Fares are lower on weekends. Customers using Metro Transit Go-To cards get a 10 percent bonus with their purchases.

"We have just 11 weeks left for practice trips and training, and then it will be time to introduce Minnesota’s new star to its customers,” said Lamb.  “Metro Transit is looking forward to Nov. 16 when we can say: ‘All Aboard.’”