Editing Northstar Line (section)

== Ridership ==
{| class="toccolours collapsible" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; clear: both; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; text-align:right;"
|-
! colspan="5"  style="background-color:#ccf; background-color:#ccf; padding-right:3px; padding-left:3px; font-size:110%; text-align:center;"| Annual Passenger Ridership
|- style="font-size:90%; text-align:center"
! style="border-bottom:1px solid black" | Year || style="border-bottom:1px solid black"| Ridership || style="border-bottom:1px solid black"| % Change || style="border-bottom:1px solid black"|
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2009''' || {{formatnum:  }} 78,782 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | -
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2010''' || {{formatnum:  }} 710,426 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:801.8}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2011''' || {{formatnum:  }} 703,427 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-1.3}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2012''' || {{formatnum:700276}} || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" |  {{formatnum:-0.4}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2013''' || {{formatnum:  }} 787,239 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" |  {{formatnum:+12.3}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2014''' || {{formatnum: }} 721,214 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" |  {{formatnum:-8.4}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2015''' || {{formatnum:  }} 722,637 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:+0.2}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2016''' || {{formatnum:  }} 711,168 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-1.6}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2017''' || {{formatnum:  }} 793,796 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:+11.6}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2018''' || {{formatnum:  }} 787,327 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-0.8}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2019''' || {{formatnum:  }} 767,500 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-2.5}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2020''' || {{formatnum:  }} 152,600 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-80.1}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2021''' || {{formatnum:  }} 50,433 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:-67}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2022''' || {{formatnum:  }} 77,076 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:52.8}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2023''' || {{formatnum:  }} 97,264 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:26.2}}%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| '''2024''' || {{formatnum:  }} 127,400 || style="text-align:right; padding-right:15px" | {{formatnum:40}}%
|-
|colspan=5 style="border-top:1px solid black; font-size:85%; text-align:left" | Sources:<ref>{{cite web |title=2011 Transit Report: A Guide to Minnesota's Public Transit Systems |url=https://mdl.mndot.gov/_flysystem/fedora/2023-04/minnesota-transit-report-2011.pdf |website=www.dot.state.mn.us |publisher=Minnesota Department of Transportation |access-date=16 March 2025 |page=86 |date=December 2011}}</ref><ref name="With reliability issues behind, Northstar sees positive momentum with slight rise in ridership">{{cite web| url=http://www.startribune.com/with-reliability-issues-behind-northstar-sees-positive-momentum-with-slight-rise-in-ridership/368195931/ |title=With reliability issues behind, Northstar sees positive momentum with slight rise in ridership|author=Tim Harlow|publisher=Star Tribune |type=PDF |access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="2016 Transit Ridership in Twin Cities Region">{{cite web| url=https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Services/Regional-Transit-Ridership/2016-Transit-Ridership-Regional-Transit-System-T.aspx/ |title=2016 Transit Ridership in Twin Cities Region |author=Metropolitan Council|type=PDF |access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Daily commuter ridership up on Northstar; overall ridership drops slightly">{{cite web| url=http://erstarnews.com/2012/01/19/commuter-ridership-up-on-northstar-total-ridership-drops-slightly/ |title=Daily commuter ridership up on Northstar; overall ridership drops slightly |author=Joni Astrup|type=PDF |access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Rail lines set records as Metro Transit ridership tops 81.9 million in 2017">{{cite web| url=https://www.metrotransit.org/rail-lines-set-records-as-metro-transit-ridership-tops-819-million-in-2017 |title=Rail lines set records as Metro Transit ridership tops 81.9 million in 2017 |author=Drew Kerr|type=web |access-date=July 20, 2018}}</ref><ref name="metrocouncil.org2019">{{cite press release| url=https://www.metrotransit.org/light-rail-bus-rapid-transit-lines-set-annual-ridership-records|title=Light rail, Bus Rapid Transit lines set annual ridership records|author=Kerr, Drew|date=February 11, 2019|work=Metro Transit}}</ref>
|}

Ridership in the first 15 days averaged 2,207 per day (33,112 total), short of a goal of 2,460.<ref name="strib121009">{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/local/78990087.html|title=Northstar ridership below Metro Transit goals|author=Bob von Sternberg|date=December 10, 2009|work=Star Tribune|access-date=January 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213121433/http://www.startribune.com/local/78990087.html|archive-date=December 13, 2009}}</ref> By the end of January 2010, goals were exceeded by 3%.<ref>Article does not clearly state whether these were December 2009 or January 2010 figures. {{cite web|url=http://wcco.com/local/metro.transit.ridership.2.1475755.html|title=Metro Transit Ridership Is Dropping|author=Cory Kampschroer|work=WCCO.com|date=February 6, 2010|access-date=February 11, 2010}}</ref> Ridership for 2010 was originally projected to be 897,000 though ultimately ended up at 715,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Northstar commuter ridership falling below forecast|url=http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2010/12/Northstar%20commuter%20ridership%20falling%20below%20forecast.aspx|publisher=Trains Magazine|access-date=December 7, 2010|date=December 6, 2010}}</ref> Because ridership varies significantly through the course of a year, Metro Transit's month-to-month goals are different from the yearly average goal. Daily ridership was 2,814 in early 2019, the same level it was in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metrotransit.org/light-rail-bus-rapid-transit-lines-set-annual-ridership-records|title=Rider's Almanac Blog|website=www.metrotransit.org}}</ref> Ridership was projected to be 5,590 in 2025 and 6,200 in 2030, according to a 2009 study by Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc.<ref name="stats">{{cite news|url=https://www.hometownsource.com/elk_river_star_news/the-little-train-that-couldn-t/article_952cc970-0f36-11ea-9066-1bd3acd55d81.html|title=The little train that couldn't|date=November 26, 2019|author=Boyle, Jim|work=Elk River Star News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Metro Transit Facts 2023 |url=https://www.metrotransit.org/Data/Sites/1/media/blog/2023_factbook_letter_new_final_final.pdf |website=metrotransit.org |publisher=Metro Transit |access-date=16 March 2025}}</ref>

In 2019 Northstar averaged 2,660 weekday rides and 705 weekend rides. Event service comprised 31{{ndash}}37% of total annual boardings.<ref name="SRF 2023 Appx. A">{{cite web |title=Northstar Rail Corridor Post-Pandemic Study Appendix A: Corridor History and Existing Conditions Technical Report |url=https://metrocouncil.org/Transportation/Publications-And-Resources/Transit/COMMUTER-RAIL/2023-Northstar-Rail-Corridor-Post-Pandemic-Study/Appendix-A-Corridor-History-and-Existing-Condition.aspx |publisher=Metropolitan Council |access-date=16 March 2025 |date=March 2023}}</ref> Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], ridership dropped to 152,600 passengers in 2020 and to 50,433 in 2021.

{{#invoke:Chart | bar chart
| stack = 1
| width = 640
| group 1 = 
78782:710426:703427:700276:787239:721214:722637:711168:793796:787327:767500:152600:50433:77076:97264:127400
| units suffix =
| group names = Annual ridership
| x legends = 2009:2010:2011:2012:2013:2014:2015:2016:2017:2018:2019:2020:2021:2022:2023:2024
| colors = #{{rcr|Metro Transit (Minnesota)|Northstar}}
}}