ST. CLOUD (11/17/15)— The Northstar Link Commuter Bus schedule for Route 887V has been modified to provide service the Vikings new game time on Sunday, November 22. The Northstar Link schedule allows southbound riders 20 minutes to purchase fares and board the train in Big Lake.
ST. CLOUD — Starting Oct. 12, those who travel on Northstar Link Commuter Bus will be able to pay their fares with the same Go-To fare card used on the Northstar Commuter Rail service and on Metro Transit system in the Twin Cities.
A Go-To card looks like a credit card and can be loaded with stored value. Cards can be used on Northstar buses & trains but each service is paid separately. Customers will have to tap the card to the reader each time before boarding a bus or train.
“The Go-To Card is easier to use than digging for cash, and there is comfort in knowing you can register the card for free to protect its stored value if it is lost or stolen,” said Metro Bus Executive Director Ryan Daniel.
“With only one fare card to keep track of between the two services, commuting between St. Cloud and Minneapolis will be even easier,” said Leigh Lenzmeier, Stearns County Commissioner and chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority. “And it’s a good example of two transit systems working together to provide the best service possible for the people of Minnesota.”
Metro Bus worked with Metro Transit to bring the Go-To Card payment option to the Northstar Link buses.
“This step in the evolution of the Go To Card and our partnership with Metro Bus is just the latest way in which we have come together, working to ensure that taking transit is the most efficient way of connecting our community as they travel to work, school and to visit all the region has to offer,” said Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb.
Pre-loaded $20 Go-To Cards may be purchased at the Metro Bus Transit Center, in downtown St. Cloud. Cards may also be purchased online from Metro Transit, or at any of Metro Transit’s retail outlets in the Twin Cities.
Northstar Link customers may continue to pay their fare using cash, 10-Ride Pass or 31-Day Pass. The Go-To Card is not valid on St. Cloud Metro Bus Fixed Route or Dial-a-Ride services. More information about Northstar Link, Fares and Go-To Cards may be found here.
ST. CLOUD — Anticipating high ridership for Twins baseball this weekend, Northstar Link Commuter Bus is adding extra buses to and from Big Lake October 2-4. This weekend marks the end of the Twins’ regular season and is also Fan Appreciation Weekend.
“Northstar service to Twins games is popular, and we anticipate this weekend to be extra busy,” said Tom Cruikshank, Managing Director of Operations & Planning for Metro Bus, which operates the Northstar Link service.
Northstar Link is scheduled to depart the St. Cloud Metro Bus Transit Center at 3:55 pm Friday, Oct. 2; 9:15 am Saturday, Oct. 3; and 10:35 am Sunday, Oct. 4; it will stop at St. Cloud State University’s Miller Center, the East St. Cloud Park and Ride Lot, and Becker before meeting the train in Big Lake at 5:03 pm Friday; 10:20 am Saturday; and 11:50 am Sunday.
“We strongly recommend customers come early to board the bus and we urge them to purchase their train fares in advance – especially for Saturday’s game,” said Cruikshank who shared that the time between when the bus arrives in Big Lake and the train departs may be a concern this weekend with the influx of Twins fans expected.
Customers can expedite the boarding process by ordering a print-at-home Northstar Family Pass or individual roundtrip ticket from .metrotransit.org/take-northstar-to-target-field.
Separate fares are required for the Northstar Bus and the Northstar Train. The cost to ride Northstar Link between St. Cloud and Big Lake is $2. Between Becker and Big Lake is $1. Fares for Northstar train from Big Lake to Target Field station ranges between $5.25 on weekend and $6.00 for weekday. A Roundtrip Family Pass costs $20 and is good for two adults and up to three kids or seniors. Individual roundtrip tickets from Big Lake are also available online.
See schedule (Click to enlarge)
Information about Northstar Commuter Rail service: metrotransit.org/northstar
Information about Northstar Link Commuter Bus service: CatchTheLink.com.
ST. CLOUD – Northstar can help you get to the Minnesota State Fair.
Ride Northstar Link Commuter Bus from St. Cloud and Becker to connect with Northstar Commuter Rail in Big Lake for service to Fridley Station. State Fair Express buses leave Fridley Station every 30 minutes.
Northstar Link will be honoring Metro Transit’s Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass, so families can ride with one fare. The Northstar Roundtrip Family Pass may be purchased online for $30 and is valid for two adults and up to three kids (ages 6-17) or seniors (age 65+). Those not using a family pass may purchase single fares for Northstar Link, Northstar Commuter Rail, and State Fair Express Parking. Two adults traveling together save $12 by using the Family Pass. Kids under 5 ride free.
Purchase your pass and learn more information about the Family Pass at:www.metrotransit.org/northstar-family-pass-state-fair
It is important to note that there is no extra Northstar Link service planned for the State Fair. Northstar Link meets every train on weekdays and has limited service on weekends. Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra time for traveling between the State Fair and Fridley station. Plan to leave the fair at least one hour to 90 minutes before you expect to catch the train at Fridley Station.
Northstar does not operate on Labor Day.
Kids 12 & Under Can Ride for FREE with a Paid Fare
Every weekend in August, up to three kids ages 12 & under can ride FREE with a paid fare on Metro Transit. Buses, light rail, even Northstar Link – ride all day both days and take advantage of the remaining days of summer.
• Back-to-school shopping
• Plan your own field trip to a museum
• Summertime festivals
• Sports (Twins, Lynx, Saints)
• State Fair (take a city bus – route 3, 84 or 960 – to the Fairgrounds. Sorry,
not valid on State Fair Express buses from suburban lots.
Find out more at about the promotion at metrotransit.org/kids-weekends.
For help planning your route, use the Trip Planner at metrotransit.org or talk to a friendly transit expert at 612-373-3333.
Northstar Link Commuter Bus service will operate a reduced 887 schedule and no 887F service on Friday, July 3. There will be no Northstar service on Saturday, July 4, due to the holiday and Sunday, July 5 will be as regularly scheduled.
Northstar Link Bus rides cost $2 one way and are paid for separately from the train ride. Cash fares are purchased on the bus. Passes may be purchased online at CatchTheLink.com or at the Metro Bus Transit Center, 510 1st S. S, St. Cloud. Credit cards are accepted online or at the Transit Center only. Riders can purchase train fares in advance online and save time at the platform; go to metrotransit.org/Northstar.
Click graphic below to enlarge schedule.
Evidence of the rise in popularity for Twins baseball can be seen in the standing-room-only crowd on the Northstar Link Commuter Bus. In response to the demand, an extra southbound bus will be added June 20 to connect people between St. Cloud and the Northstar Commuter Rail service in Big Lake.
Two Northstar Link buses will depart the East St. Cloud Park & Ride Lot on Hwy 10 at 9:20 am to meet the southbound Northstar Commuter Rail train in Big Lake at 10:20 am to bring riders to Target Field by 11:12 am, in time for the 1:10 pm game against the Chicago Cubs.
The extra bus will provide a more comfortable ride for the 40-minute commute between St. Cloud and
Big Lake, according to Stearns County Commissioner Leigh Lenzmeier, chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority.
“An extra bus also will improve boarding times and give people time to pay their train fares without delaying the train,” said Commissioner Lenzmeier. “We want the transit experience to be as stress-free and comfortable as possible.”
Additional buses may be added for future games, said Tom Cruikshank, managing director of Operations and Planning for Metro Bus, which operates the Northstar Link bus service.
“We will evaluate the need after the June 20 game,” said Cruikshank.
Northstar Link Bus rides cost $2 one way and are paid for separately from the train ride. Cash fares are purchased on the bus. Credit cards are accepted online or at the Metro Bus Transit Center at 510 1st St. S., St. Cloud.
Northstar Link Commuter Bus is changing its Saturday southbound service to better accommodate the train schedule. The first change, effective May 2, affects schedules for Routes 887 and 887T. The second change, effective June 6, only impacts Route 887T.
Effective Saturday, May 2, the Saturday morning 9:15 am southbound Northstar Link Bus will depart 15 minutes sooner to provide customers more time to purchase train fares in Big Lake. It will depart Metro Bus Transit Center, downtown St. Cloud, at 9 am; SCSU Miller Center at 9:10 am; East St. Cloud Park & Ride at 9:20 am; and Becker Park & Ride at 9:40 am. It will arrive at the Big Lake Northstar station at 10 am to meet the 10:20 am southbound Northstar Commuter Rail train. This change affects the schedules for Routes 887 and 887T.
Effective Saturday, June 6, the Saturday 12:05 pm southbound Northstar Link Bus will depart 30 minutes sooner to accommodate the new train schedule effective the same day. Northstar Link bus will depart Metro Bus Transit Center at 11:35 am; SCSU Miller Center at 11:45 am; East St. Cloud Park & Ride at 11:55 am; and Becker Park & Ride at 12:15 pm. It will arrive at the Big Lake Northstar station at 12:35 pm to meet the 12:50 pm southbound Northstar Commuter Rail train. This change only affects the 887T schedule.
Northstar Link Bus rides cost $2 one way and are paid for separately from the train ride. Cash fares are purchased on the bus. Passes may be purchased online at catchthelink.com or at the Metro Bus Transit Center. Credit cards are accepted online or at the Transit Center only. Riders can purchase train fares in advance online and save time at the platform: metrotransit.org/Northstar.
Skip the hassles of driving and parking and use Northstar to go to and from MN Twins home games.
Northstar Commuter Bus Route 887T connects to the Northstar Commuter Rail Line in Big Lake for all Twins baseball home games at Target Field. The train stops at the gates of Target Field.
The bus fare is only $2 one way and can be purchased on the bus, at the Metro Bus Transit Center or ahead of time online.
For the train: Save time and money with a Northstar Family Pass or pick up individual roundtrip tickets. You can buy them online, print them at home and be ready to go on game day!
View Northstar Commuter Rail schedule for Twins games here.
View Northstar Link Commuter Bus Route 887T PDF here.
ST. CLOUD —The Northstar Link route 887 will not operate on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, Christmas Day, Dec. 25, and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. Northstar Link will run a modified schedule on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28 and Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, and the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, in conjunction with Northstar rail service (schedule below). Northstar Link will operate its regular schedule on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31. There is no 887F service on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov 28 and the Friday after Christmas, Dec. 26. Regular fares will apply.
Complete schedule details for the train is available www.metrotransit.org/northstar.
