Downtown East / Metrodome (Metro Transit Station)
The Downtown East/Metrodome station is a light rail station on the Hiawatha Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the fifth stop southbound.
The station, located on the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome plaza at the east end of downtown Minneapolis, is a side-platform station. Service began at this station when the Hiawatha Line opened on June 26, 2004.
A major feature of the site is the set of ornamental arches that stand next to the station. They are meant to reflect the Stone Arch Bridge, a major landmark of the city that crosses the Mississippi River a few blocks away. The patterns in the brickwork are meant to reflect fabric designs worn by 19th century immigrants in the Elliot Park neighborhood.
The station is normally not busy except for weekend sporting events at the 'Dome, when large crowds line up. It can take up to an hour for the platforms to return to normal after a big game.
The platforms are also considered to be the main stop for students traveling to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, as a few frequent bus routes to campus run nearby. The Central Corridor project between Minneapolis and St. Paul will be built as a light rail line, and would provide a direct connection to the university, but it will not be in service until 2014.
East of the Metrodome station, past the crossing of 4th Street and Chicago Avenue, trains enter the segment of the line where automatic block signaling (ABS) is used. In contrast, light rail vehicles must obey stop lights in the downtown region. The rail line uses a system of lights which display either vertical or horizontal white bars to the train operator.
Read more about Downtown East / Metrodome (Metro Transit Station): Notable Places Nearby
Famous quotes containing the words east and/or transit:
“Though the words Canada East on the map stretch over many rivers and lakes and unexplored wildernesses, the actual Canada, which might be the colored portion of the map, is but a little clearing on the banks of the river, which one of those syllables would more than cover.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“My esoteric doctrine, is that if you entertain any doubt, it is safest to take the unpopular side in the first instance. Transit from the unpopular, is easy ... but from the popular to the unpopular is so steep and rugged that it is impossible to maintain it.”
—William Lamb Melbourne, 2nd Viscount (1779–1848)