Transit Disruptions: Arctic cold halts national rail as Northstar corridor enters a new era of buses

COON RAPIDS, Minn.

January 2026 has become a defining month for passenger rail and regional transit, shaped by two forces moving in parallel but driven by very different logics: a historic Arctic outbreak that forced emergency suspensions across the national rail network, and a permanent policy decision that has reshaped daily commuting in Minnesota’s northwest suburbs.

On one front, Amtrak suspended or modified service across large swaths of the country through at least Sunday, Jan. 25, as Winter Storm Fern delivered what the railroad itself described as “dangerous to life” cold. On another, communities in Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids, and Fridley entered the third week of life after rail, as the Northstar Commuter Rail corridor completed its transition to an expanded bus-based network.

Together, the disruptions illustrate the vulnerability of fixed rail to extreme weather and the growing shift among transit agencies toward flexibility, frequency, and lower operating costs.

Amtrak: a national network brought to a standstill

As temperatures plunged well below zero across the Upper Midwest and ice spread through much of the eastern United States, Amtrak implemented widespread cancellations and schedule modifications, urging passengers to delay travel and offering fee-free refunds and rebookings.

The risks were not abstract. Rail experts note that extreme cold causes steel rails to contract, increasing the likelihood of fractures, while moisture in pneumatic air-brake systems can freeze into ice pellets, creating the possibility of braking failure. In such conditions, continuing operations can endanger crews, passengers, and equipment.

Among the most significant cancellations affecting Minnesota travelers and long-distance connections were:

• Empire Builder (Chicago–Seattle/Portland): Fully canceled for multiple departures from Jan. 21–24.
• Texas Eagle (Chicago–San Antonio): Suspended across large portions of its route.
• City of New Orleans and The Floridian: Multiple cancellations tied to ice accumulation in the Midwest and South.
• Northeast Corridor: Modified schedules for Acela and Northeast Regional trains amid snow and freezing rain from Washington, D.C., to Boston.

For Amtrak, the shutdowns underscored a recurring reality of winter railroading in a changing climate: reliability increasingly depends on choosing when not to run.

Northstar: the end of rail, by design

While Amtrak’s disruptions were temporary, the changes playing out in the northwest metro are not.

After 16 years of service, Northstar commuter rail permanently ceased rail operations on Jan. 4, 2026, closing a chapter that once promised fast, peak-hour rail access from the suburbs to downtown Minneapolis but struggled with low ridership and high operating costs.

In its place, Metro Transit rolled out an expanded bus model that dramatically increases frequency and span of service along the former rail corridor.

The contrast is stark:

Transit officials and county leaders have framed the change as a shift from a commuter-only model to an all-day “pulse” system designed to serve a wider range of trips, from nine-to-five commuters to students, service workers, and reverse commuters.

The backbone routes

The new network centers on three primary routes that mirror, and in some cases expand beyond, the old rail footprint:

• Route 888, the backbone of the corridor, serves former Northstar stations in Ramsey, Anoka, and Coon Rapids, operating every 30 minutes during peak periods with additional midday and weekend service.
• Route 827 links Fridley directly to downtown Minneapolis, shifting boarding away from the former rail platform to East River Road to improve travel times.
• Route 882, a two-year pilot, provides weekday service between Big Lake, Elk River, and Minneapolis, preserving a long-distance connection once handled exclusively by rail.

There is also a symbolic break with the past. Unlike Northstar trains, which terminated at Target Field Station, the new bus routes deliver riders directly along Marquette and Second avenues, placing passengers closer to the core of the Minneapolis business district.

A winter test, and a policy one

As of late January, the corridor is still in its early proving period. Extreme cold has tested vehicles, schedules, and rider patience at the very moment commuters are learning new patterns and stops. Yet the increased frequency has also offered something Northstar rarely could during its final years: options.

In the span of a single week, Minnesota riders have seen both ends of modern transit reality. A national rail system paused by Arctic cold, and a regional corridor betting that buses, not trains, are better suited to withstand the pressures of cost, climate, and changing travel needs.

January 2026 may be remembered less for the storm itself than for what it revealed: in an era of volatility, flexibility has become as critical to transit as steel and rails once were.

MinneapoliMedia