West Bank station is a
light rail
Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...
station along the
Metro Green Line in
Minneapolis
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. It serves the West Bank campus of the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
, as well as the
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
Construction in the vicinity began in 2010, and the station opened with the rest of the line in 2014. It is the westernmost station only served by Green Line trains. The next station to the west,
U.S. Bank Stadium Station, has been served by the
Blue Line since it opened in 2004.
Location
The station is located west of the
Washington Avenue Bridge, extending from Cedar Avenue to slightly east of 19th Avenue.
The station is located on
Hennepin County Road 122, an unsigned continuation of
Washington Avenue SE. Washington Avenue originally ran straight east-west across the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...
when the first bridge for the road was built in 1884. However, the current bridge was constructed in the 1960s at a slight angle to the southwest, causing Washington Avenue to become discontinuous.
Washington Avenue S itself is located a block to the north, and has its eastern terminus on the West Bank at 19th Avenue, leading into the
University of Minnesota Law School
The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...
.
Design and layout
Because the station is in a sunken corridor, stairways and elevators were installed at Cedar Avenue and 19th Avenue to reach the platform. This is unlike other Green Line stations, which do not feature vertical pedestrian movement. The station was designed with an island platform to minimize the number of stairs and elevators needed.
Art
Art for the station was created by artist Nancy Blum. The work is titled ''(Im)migration''.
Made out of stainless steel that clings to the facade of the structure, the work features migratory birds that use the Mississippi as a migratory flyway. Wire mesh that clads the station structure contain patterns that reflect the immigrant communities that have established themselves in the West Bank area, both through the Ceder Riverside neighborhood and the University of Minnesota.
Services and connections
The station is served by METRO Green Line. To connect to buses, users have to either go up a level to Cedar Avenue or cross the street to an access ramp on Washington Avenue.
From Cedar Avenue, the station is served by routes 7 and 22. From Washington Avenue, the station is served by routes 2 and 3.
References
External links
Metro Transit: West Bank Station
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Bank (Metro Transit Station)
2014 establishments in Minnesota
Metro Green Line (Minnesota) stations in Minneapolis
Railway stations in the United States at university and college campuses
Railway stations in the United States opened in 2014