Northstar Rail takes first ride Saturday

The Northstar Commuter Rail line between the Twin Cities and central Minnesota is taking its first ride. The ceremonial first trip starts at 9 a.m. Saturday morning when the bus leaves St. Cloud bound for Big Lake. From there, riders hop the new train into downtown Minneapolis. There will be speeches and dedications along the way.
 

The trains will start rolling for regular commuters on Monday. There will be five trips from Big Lake to Minneapolis each weekday morning, and five more in the evening. Buses will ferry riders between Big Lake and St. Cloud. Three roundtrips will run on weekends. It's estimated that 3,400 people will ride the train each weekday.