Northstar lowers peak fares, expands service

Exiting the train
Northstar commuters at the Target Field Station in Minneapolis.
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson

The Northstar Link commuter bus connecting Saint Cloud to the northwest suburbs lowered its peak hour fares Monday and expanded its service.

The bus line connects St. Cloud with Metro Transit's Northstar commuter rail line, which runs from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis.

Tom Cruikshank, with the St. Cloud Metro Bus, says if more ride the Northstar Link, it's more likely the Northstar rail line will get extended the remainder of the distance from Big Lake to Saint Cloud, connecting the city with Minneapolis.

Cruickshank says the Northstar bus line's ridership has grown steadily since its service began.

"Since it started in 2009, we've only had one month where it wasn't higher than the same month in the previous year, which is astounding," he said.

The bus service changes will also include more stops at St. Cloud State University.

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