This World Event Is Giving The Former Northstar Rail Trains New Life

It's only been a few months since the Northstar rail service ended, but the former rail cars and engines are seeing 'new' life, in part due to an upcoming world event. Recently, the engines and train cars were spotted moving south toward Texas, where they will eventually wind up.

What Was The Northstar Line?

The Northstar line was a commuter rail service that ran the 40 miles between Big Lake and Minneapolis, and operated from 2009 until January 4, 2026. The service just never really picked up the way that the state thought it would, as it was averaging in August of 2025 around 400 riders a day. The low ridership and the cost to operate were what caused the line to close.

New Life For The Former Engines And Cars

With the World Cup coming to the US, Mexico, and Canada this summer, the Dallas Metropolitan area needed more transportation methods for fans and visitors. Luckily, Minnesota just happened to have the locomotives and cars from the Northstar and has leased them to Texas for the event.

According to Trains.com, there will be two of the Northstar’s locomotives and eight of its bilevel Bombardier coaches en route to Texas for use during the World Cup. So, where can you see the former Northstar equipment?

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Trains.com went on to state that they will be operated by "Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to add capacity to the Trinity Railway Express commuter line between Dallas and Fort Worth."

Are They Coming Back To Minnesota?

I looked in a few different places online and couldn't get a definitive answer to whether or not the trains were sold to DART, or are just being rented/leased for the interim period.

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