As an (almost) lifelong Minnesotan and a train enthusiast, I have had a goal to ride the Northstar Commuter Service since before it even opened 14 years ago. As a child living in the southwest metro, I found it hard to justify making a trip, and while the reasons changed, the end result stayed the same: My train ride would need to wait.

The most recent hangup was the old service schedule. With only two round trips a day — two morning southbound and two evening northbound — I would need to spend the night in Big Lake or bike back to Anoka and catch a bus in order to make it work. With the reintroduction of two more round trips per day — a northbound and southbound each in the morning and evening — this can now be accomplished in about an hour and a half.

So, on Monday, October 2, I took the day off to finally cross this goal off my list — along with a few other, less important things.

Find the full transcript on our website.

Video originally appeared on Ian Gaida's YouTube channel.