For the past four years, Grace Wieczorek has relied on a single bus and rail connection to commute from St. Cloud to her job in the Twin Cities. The Northstar Link bus would pick her up in St. Cloud, take her to Big Lake, and connect her to the Northstar Commuter Rail bound for downtown Minneapolis.
Since the new year, that connection has disappeared.
“I had a pretty strong reaction,” Wieczorek said. “I was pretty shocked and disappointed. I used it to get to work for four years.”
The Northstar Link Commuter Bus, which began operation in 2009, discontinued service on Dec. 31. Metro Transit and state transportation officials cited high operating costs and declining ridership as reasons for ending the line, which once carried thousands of riders each weekday.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Northstar rail reported an average of 2,660 weekday riders. By 2024, ridership had dropped to 430, far below the 5,590 daily rides Metro Transit projected for 2025. Officials said replacing the rail with more flexible bus service would reduce costs while maintaining some regional connections.
Metro Transit plans to introduce an expanded bus route beginning in January, serving existing Northstar stops in Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids, and downtown Minneapolis. Trips will run every 30 minutes during morning and evening rush hours. But the replacement will not restore the St. Cloud-to-Big Lake link that Wieczorek and other Northstar Link riders rely on.
For commuters like Wieczorek, public transit is more than a convenience — it is a necessity. She cannot drive because of medical reasons, and she worries about the impact on people with disabilities, seniors, and those without access to a car.
“Not everyone can just hop in a car,” she said. “Vehicles are expensive. Car insurance is expensive, gas is expensive, and maintenance is expensive. This isn’t just a convenience issue. Public transit is essential.”
The timing of the shutdown is also a concern. Minnesota winters are notoriously harsh, and Wieczorek said removing a critical transportation option during the coldest months is “tone deaf and odd.”
Other riders expressed frustration and uncertainty. “A lot of people are angry and talking about it,” Wieczorek said. “People were complaining about how it’s going away, not getting answers, and not liking the replacements that are provided.”
Many Northstar Link commuters use public transit to reach more than work. Students, seniors, and patients traveling to medical appointments rely on the service. Without a direct connection, riders must depend on family, friends, or expensive rideshare options, adding time and cost to their commutes. Snow, ice, and poor road conditions complicate long drives, especially for people with health challenges.
Metro Transit officials said the expanded bus service is intended to provide more frequent trips in the metro area, but the agency acknowledged that the St. Cloud segment will not be served.
The discontinuation of the Northstar Link raises broader questions about regional transit equity. Riders outside the Twin Cities metro area may be left without reliable options, highlighting a divide between policy decisions and the needs of communities that rely on public transportation.
For Wieczorek, the change is personal. She worries about the hundreds of residents in St. Cloud and Becker who depended on the bus to connect to Minneapolis, and the broader implications for people who cannot drive.
“Public transportation is about people,” she said. “It’s about access, safety, and being able to live your life without being completely restricted by what you can afford or your physical limitations. That’s what’s at stake here.
Lizzy Nyoike is a Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication student