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Northstar F7A

Northstar is a commuter rail service in the United States, more specifically in the state of Minnesota. Passenger service began on the 16th of November, 2009. The service runs for a distance of 40 miles from Big Lake to Minneapolis, along track owned by the BNSF Railway. There are seven stations on the line:

Big Lake
Elk River
Ramsey
Anoka
♥♥♥♥ Rapids - Riversdale
Fridley
Target Field

Target Field station is in Downtown Minneapolis. Connections can be made there with light rail (tram) and bus services. The station got its name from being integrated into the Target Field baseball stadium, which is the home of the Minnesota Twins team. Northstar trains only operate during peak periods on weekdays, with a reduced service on weekends - consisting of just three rounds trips from Big Lake to Target Field.

The motive power on this line is six MPI MP36PH-3C locomotives. Five of them were built brand-new for Northstar, while one was acquired second-hand from the UTA Frontrunner in Utah. 18 Bombardier Bi-Level cars are operated by Northstar, with six of them being cab-cars. The weekday service usually calls for five trains to be in service, each being formed of one locomotive and three or four cars. The platforms are only long enough for five cars. On weekends, only one train is used, as that's all they need for the three round trips. Northstar's train depot is located just south of Big Lake station.