Minnesota's Metro Transit on Monday, Feb. 24, 2014 urged riders of Northstar Line commuter service not to board their trains to head for the Twin Cities, citing delays caused by heavy freight rail traffic caused by ongoing congestion problems.
Similar delays already have disrupted Amtrak's Empire Builder in the past few weeks, due to both severe winter weather and heavy freight activity due to crude-by-rail movements emanating from the Bakken Shield in North Dakota.
Northstar Line service runs from Big Lake, Minn., to Minneapolis. Service began in November 2009
"Expect significant delays (60-90 minutes) due to freight traffic," Metro Transit said in a tweet Monday, reported first by local media. "Consider alternate travel arrangements if possible."