How to ride the Northstar Line
- Fares and how to pay
- Park & Ride lots
- Schedules
- Plan your trip
- How to ride
- Connecting with
buses/light rail
Fares and how to pay for your ride
One-way fares to/from downtown Minneapolis: |
Weekday All customers
|
Weekend/Holiday Adults |
Weekend/Holiday Seniors (65+), Youth (6-12) and Medicare card holders. At all times for persons with disabilities. |
Big Lake |
$7.00 |
$5.25 |
$1.75 |
Elk River |
$5.50 |
$4.00 |
$1.25 |
Anoka |
$4.00 |
$3.00 |
$1.00 |
Coon Rapids |
$4.00 |
$3.00 |
$1.00 |
Fridley |
$3.25 |
$2.50 |
$0.75 |
Station-to-station |
$3.25 |
$2.50 |
$0.75 |
Children ages 5 and under ride free (limit 3) when accompanied by a paid fare.
Group savings with the Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass!
Save big with the Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass. Starting April 2, pay one low price and get roundtrip Northstar rides for two adults and up to three kids age 6-12. (Kids five and under ride free!)
Purchase your Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass after 9 a.m. at ticket machines at any suburban Northstar station. Passes are valid until midnight on day of purchase.
Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass prices |
|
Big Lake |
$17.00 |
Elk River |
$13.00 |
Anoka |
$10.00 |
Coon Rapids-Riverdale |
$10.00 |
Fridley |
$8.00 |
Paying for your ride
Fares must be purchased before boarding the train; tickets cannot be purchased onboard. Customers must be prepared to show proof of payment on the train. Those without a valid ticket or pass are subject to a $180 fine.
There are ticket machines at each station. Purchase a ticket from the machine using cash or a credit card. Learn how to use a ticket machine.
Frequent riders will want to get a Go-To Card. Just touch your card to a reader at the station and the fare is paid instantly. Add value to your card online or at a station ticket machine.
Metropasses, U-Passes, Go-To College Passes
are accepted at Northstar stations. To use one of these passes, you must validate it by touching it to the card reader before boarding.
These passes are valid for $3 toward your Northstar fare; the remaining fare is paid using stored value, which you can add to your card here.
Park & Ride lots
There are thousands of free parking spaces at five suburban stations along the Northstar Line.
To benefit Northstar customers bound for the airport, limited overnight parking is allowed at Northstar lots (Metro Transit does not allow overnight parking at its other Park & Ride lots).
Overnight parking is limited to 10 spaces each at Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rpids-Riverdale and Fridley stations. Each car is permitted to occupy a space for no longer than seven days at a time.
Learn about Northstar Park & Ride lots.
Schedule
View/print the Northstar Line schedule
NOTE: Northstar trains will not operate on these holidays: New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Plan your trip
Plan your trip in seconds using the Online Trip Planner. For help by phone, call a transit expert at 612-373-3333.
How to ride
- Pay for your ride before boarding the train; tickets cannot be purchased onboard. Have your proof of payment ready. Note that rail station platforms are paid fare zones, reserved for those who are purchasing tickets or for ticketed customers who are waiting for or getting off trains.
- Wait behind the safety line on the platform until the train stops completely. Wait for others to exit the train before boarding.
- Take a seat, and keep your proof of payment available to show to Transit Police or the conductor if asked. Certain seats are designated for seniors and people with disabilities. Please surrender these seats when they are needed by these customers.
- Strollers and non-motorized bicycles are welcome on trains. Each train has bicycle storage.
- Remain seated throughout the trip. If there is standing room only, hold hand rails in case of sudden stops.
- Trains will stop at every station. Please wait until the train has come to a complete stop before leaving your seat.
Connecting with buses/light rail
Several routes provide bus service to Northstar stations. In downtown Minneapolis, Northstar trains connect with the Hiawatha light-rail line (Route 55) at Target Field Station. Light rail operates roughly between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m. daily with trains departing every seven minutes during rush hours and less frequently at other times.
Route 10 – Service on University Avenue (U branch) is a quarter-mile walk from Fridley Station. Buses may be rerouted to directly serve the station, and the schedule will be adjusted so that buses operate on the University Avenue branch when trains serve the Fridley station.
Route 20 – This shuttle connects with each Northstar train and serves the south end of downtown; dropping off customers on 10th Street in the morning and picking up on 9th Street in the afternoon. See Route 20 map/schedule
Route 805 – Route 805 buses connect with trains that arrive in downtown Minneapolis for the 7 and 8 a.m. work starts and leave downtown following 4 and 5 p.m. work end times. Route 805 also picks up Northstar customers traveling from Minneapolis, Fridley and Coon Rapids, arriving in downtown Anoka for a 7 a.m. work start and matched with a 5 p.m. work end time. Buses connect those coming from Big Lake or Elk River to work in downtown Anoka for the 7 and 8 a.m. starts and 4 and 5 p.m. work end times.
Route 811 – This route serves Coon Rapids-Riverdale Station and neighborhoods along Round Lake and Bunker Lake boulevards and 38th, 7th, 9th and 119th avenues. See Route 811 map/schedule
Route 824 – Route 824 directly serves Fridley Station. Buses continue to operate to downtown Minneapolis as well.
Route 851 – The Northstar Line replacedd Route 851 service between Coon Rapids-Riverdale Station and downtown Minneapolis.
Route 852 – The route currently serves Fridley Station on East River Road.Route 888 – This coach bus service was replaced by the Northstar Line.
Route 889 – This route provides an evening trip to the Anoka and Coon Rapids stations. It leaves downtown at approximately 7 p.m. See Route 889 map/schedule
Northstar Link – Coach bus service connects a park-and-ride lot in St. Cloud with all weekday commuter trains at the Big Lake station. Learn more here.
Read the full Metro Transit Northstar Bus Plan. If you have questions or comments about the Northstar Commuter Line Bus Plan, e-mail us.
