Minneapolis, MN
Northstar line’s farewell ride departs downtown Minneapolis after Vikings’ season-closing win
Sixteen years of commuting came to a close on Sunday afternoon.
The Northstar Commuter Rail made its final ride after the Vikings-Packers game to get fans home safely to the northern Twin Cities suburbs.
“Last time I was on it, people were so sad. So many people were sad this was not going to continue,” Patty Fernandez, a regular Northstar rider, said.
It was Meghan Gause’s first time taking the Northstar line to a Vikings game from Coon Rapids, and she’s disappointed it won’t be an option going forward.
“I think it’s kind of crazy because it’s really convenient for people to take this and not drive through the traffic along with all the other people,” Gause said.
As a Vikings season ticket holder, Fernandez captured the grand finale departure with her granddaughter.
“This is the only way I get to the games. If it’s not with my son, it’s the train,” Fernandez said.
The Northstar first launched in 2009 as a 40-mile-long rail line between Target Field in downtown Minneapolis to Big Lake with stops throughout the northern suburbs.
In 2018, annual ridership peaked at more than 780,000 passengers. There was a dramatic drop during the pandemic, with an all-time low of just over 50,000 riders in 2021. That number didn’t improve enough in 2024 (approx. 127,000 riders) and 2025 (approx. 113,400 riders) to keep operating efficiently.
“The subsidy, or what it costs us to support each one of the rides, was more recently over $100 per rider,” said Brian Funk, the chief operating officer for Metro Transit.
Funk says plans for the future of this infrastructure are still being determined, but they will work with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and BNSF Railway over the next year to figure out what parts can be repurposed.
“We’re going to hold onto this, at least for the short term,” Funk said. “It’s a great location right next to the ballpark.”
In the meantime, public transit riders are left to rely on bus routes to downtown.
“I have to. I will not drive over here, it’s ridiculous and the parking is ridiculous,” Fernandez said.
MINNEAPOLIS — Real Capital Solutions (RCS) has acquired 3701 Wayzata Boulevard, a 308,681-square-foot office property in the Urban West End neighborhood of Minneapolis, for $34 million. Situated on 25.8 acres overlooking Brownie and Cedar lakes, the nine-story asset is 99 percent leased and serves as the headquarters location for several companies such as Tactile Medical, SRF Consulting Group, Regis Corp. and MOBE.
Originally developed as a corporate headquarters campus for Prudential and later occupied by Target Corp., the property underwent a comprehensive renovation and repositioning in 2019. Amenities today include a fitness center, conference facilities, a golf simulator, onsite café, outdoor gathering spaces, a rooftop patio, bike storage and direct access to regional trail systems.
Big Honking Truck Parade heads to Minneapolis
A ?cavalcade of wheels? will line Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis on Thursday, July 31, for the first-ever ?Minneapolis Moves: The Big Honking Truck Parade? featuring vehicles from fire engines to snowplows.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Families can get up close to massive trucks and city vehicles as the Big Honking Truck Parade rolls back through Minneapolis on Thursday.
Big trucks take over Nicollet Mall
What we know:
The “Minneapolis Moves: The Big Honking Truck Parade” is set to line downtown with municipal, public safety, construction and big-wheel trucks in an effort to bring families together and highlight the people and equipment that keep the city running.
The event begins at 5 p.m. with a local vendor market featuring crafts and food. A parade then starts at 5:30 p.m., traveling down Nicollet Mall from East Grant Street to South Sixth Street.
Mayor Frey during the 2025 Big Honking Truck Parade. Credit: City of Minneapolis (Supplied)
Dig deeper:
The parade is said to feature City of Minneapolis cars, police and fire trucks, construction vehicles, semitrailers and more from local businesses and operators.
Two Minnesota Special Olympics athletes, Dequan Williams of Minneapolis and Niko Lichtscheidl of St. Francis will serve as grand marshals of the parade, ahead of the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games which officially kick off in Minnesota on Saturday.
After the parade, all vehicles will be parked along the Mall until 8 p.m. for a “touch-a-truck” experience, giving families a chance to explore the trucks up close.
According to officials, the parade route will:
- Begin at East Grant Street
- Travel down Nicollet Mall
- End at South Sixth Street
Hoping to expand upon its first year in 2025, the parade is said to feature City of Minneapolis cars, police and fire trucks, construction vehicles, semitrailers and more from local businesses and operators.
What they’re saying:
“The Big Honkin’ Truck Parade is one of those uniquely Minneapolis events that brings families together while showcasing the people and equipment that serve our city every day,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a press release. “It’s fun, it’s educational, and it’s a great reminder of all the work happening behind the scenes to keep Minneapolis running.”
The Source: Information provided by a City of Minneapolis press release.
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