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Liala Helal
St. Paul, Minn.

Freight train blocks a.m. Northstar commute

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Metro Transit Northstar Commuter Rail trips from the northern suburbs to downtown Minneapolis were canceled Tuesday morning after the cold weather disabled a freight train on the tracks between Big Lake and Elk River.

Buses replaced the early morning southbound Northstar trips after all trips from about 5 a.m. through 7 a.m. were canceled, and the 7:21 a.m. was delayed, according to Metro Transit spokesman John Siqveland.

Buses also replaced a northbound route.

Siqveland said the BNSF train has been cleared from the tracks, but the system is dealing with freight train delays because of that stall.

Metro Transit said they are staying in communication with BNSF and will notify riders if there are any problems with the p.m. commute.

Siqveland said the cold weather in the past few weeks has caused delays for Northstar trips because of freight traffic, but not cancellations.

"This morning's situation is very unusual," Siqveland said. "The cold weather has done a number of things --- switches freeze, rails break, and locomotives stop working."

Northstar trains take commuters from the northern suburbs to downtown Minneapolis, starting in Big Lake, and stopping at stations in Elk River, Ramsey, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Fridley.