MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KWAD) — The Northstar commuter rail line between Big Lake and Minneapolis will cease operations after the Minnesota Vikings’ regular season wraps up in early January, the Metropolitan Council confirmed this week.

The last day of regular service is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 2, with special trains running after the Vikings’ final home game on Jan. 3 or 4. Beginning Jan. 5, 2026, the service will transition to buses.

However, the replacement bus routes will have a shorter reach than the train. Plans call for service between Minneapolis and Ramsey, and Minneapolis and Anoka — skipping both Big Lake and Elk River.

The move follows a February announcement that the Met Council was considering discontinuing the rail line, amid legislative pressure to submit a closure plan to the Federal Transit Administration within 90 days.

Launched in 2009, Northstar was envisioned as a connection between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud, but that extension was never built. Ridership dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not recovered, due in part to the shift toward remote work.

The line is operated by Metro Transit and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway on BNSF tracks.