Sixteen years of commuting came to a close on Sunday afternoon. 

The Northstar Commuter Rail made its final ride after the Vikings-Packers game to get fans home safely to the northern Twin Cities suburbs.

“Last time I was on it, people were so sad. So many people were sad this was not going to continue,” Patty Fernandez, a regular Northstar rider, said.

It was Meghan Gause’s first time taking the Northstar line to a Vikings game from Coon Rapids, and she’s disappointed it won’t be an option going forward. 

“I think it’s kind of crazy because it’s really convenient for people to take this and not drive through the traffic along with all the other people,” Gause said. 

As a Vikings season ticket holder, Fernandez captured the grand finale departure with her granddaughter.

“This is the only way I get to the games. If it’s not with my son, it’s the train,” Fernandez said.

The Northstar first launched in 2009 as a 40-mile-long rail line between Target Field in downtown Minneapolis to Big Lake with stops throughout the northern suburbs. 

In 2018, annual ridership peaked at more than 780,000 passengers. There was a dramatic drop during the pandemic, with an all-time low of just over 50,000 riders in 2021. That number didn’t improve enough in 2024 (approx. 127,000 riders) and 2025 (approx. 113,400 riders) to keep operating efficiently.

“The subsidy, or what it costs us to support each one of the rides, was more recently over $100 per rider,” said Brian Funk, the chief operating officer for Metro Transit. 

Funk says plans for the future of this infrastructure are still being determined, but they will work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and BNSF Railway over the next year to figure out what parts can be repurposed.

“We’re going to hold onto this, at least for the short term,” Funk said. “It’s a great location right next to the ballpark.”

In the meantime, public transit riders are left to rely on bus routes to downtown. 

“I have to. I will not drive over here, it’s ridiculous and the parking is ridiculous,” Fernandez said.