The Original North Star Line

It was a boondoggle in the 1980’s, the recently cancelled new North Star Line would be a boondoggle now

The North Star was a passenger train operated by Amtrak in Minnesota from 1978 to 1985, running between Minneapolis–St. Paul and Duluth, and later extending south to Chicago for a time. It was the last regular passenger train to serve Duluth.

🚆 Overview: North Star (1978–1985)

• Inception: Began April 16, 1978, as a Duluth–Minneapolis–St. Paul service.

• Extended: In 1981, it was extended south to Chicago, combining service with the Twin Cities Hiawatha.

• Final Route (1981–1985):
  Chicago – Milwaukee – Minneapolis – Duluth
  with stops at:

  • Milwaukee

  • Portage, WI

  • Tomah, WI

  • Winona, MN

  • Minneapolis (Midway Station)

  • Coon Rapids, MN

  • Sandstone, MN

  • Superior, WI

  • Duluth, MN

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🚉 Stations on Minnesota Segment

Key Minnesota stops during the 1980s:

• St. Paul–Minneapolis Midway Station (opened 1978)

• Coon Rapids

• Sandstone

• Duluth Depot (historic downtown station, now part of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum)

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🕒 Schedule

• The trip from Minneapolis to Duluth took about 2 hours and 45 minutes.

• Trains ran daily, usually overnight in the Chicago–Duluth direction.

• Sleepers and coach service were offered.

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🛑 Discontinuation (April 7, 1985)

• Budget cuts under the Reagan administration and low ridership led to the route being discontinued.

• Final run: April 7, 1985.

• After its cancellation, Duluth had no passenger rail service — a situation that continues to this day.

🏛 Legacy

• The North Star name was a nod to Minnesota's nickname, the "North Star State."

• Its end marked the end of intercity rail to northern Minnesota.

• The Northern Lights Express (NLX) project aimed to restore this Duluth–Twin Cities corridor with faster trains. The NLX project was cancelled by the Legislature in 2025.

🚋 Trivia

• Equipment included Amfleet coaches and sometimes Heritage sleepers.

• The train sometimes ran with detour routes due to track work or freight priority issues.

• The North Star Limited, a pre-Amtrak era train, also ran the same corridor, operated by the Great Northern Railway.