Bland Street is a light rail station in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The at-grade dual side platforms are a stop along the Lynx Blue Line and serves South End and nearby Dilworth neighborhood.
Bland Street | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| LYNX light rail station | |||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg) Looking north from the Bland Street station | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 1511 Camden Road Charlotte, North Carolina United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°12′57″N 80°51′19″W / 35.21583°N 80.85528°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | Charlotte Area Transit Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Bicycle racks | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | Ralph Whitehead Associates | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architectural style | Postmodern | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | August 30, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rebuilt | November 24, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Location
editThe station is located one block south of Bland Street and is accessible by sidewalk, the Charlotte Rail Trail, and a walkway (formally Rensselaer Avenue) that connects to nearby Camden Road and South Boulevard. The immediate area features multi-level apartments and offices, as well as restaurants, bars, and art galleries.[1]
History
editThe station began as a heritage streetcar stop, for the Charlotte Trolley, on August 30, 1996. Consisting of a platform area along a single track, the station operated Thursday through Sunday and then daily on June 28, 2004. Service was temporarily halted on February 5, 2006 so that the station could be double-tracked and reconstructed for light rail service. During reconstruction, the new Bland Street station was position further south where Rensselaear Avenue formally crossed and the original side platform was razed; a power box currently stands at its former location. The station resumed operations on November 24, 2007, as stop along the Lynx Blue Line; this was followed by the resumption of the Charlotte Trolley on April 20, 2008, operating on a limited schedule. On June 28, 2010 the Charlotte Trolley ended service, leaving the Lynx Blue Line as its sole service at the station.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Station layout
editThe station consists of two side platforms, both of which includes a low-level area for heritage streetcars, and six covered waiting areas; other amenities include ticket vending machines, emergency call box, and bicycle racks. The station also features several art installations including a drinking fountain basin designed to look like dogwood, the North Carolina state flower, by Nancy Blum. Bas-reliefs entitled Hornbeam, by Alice Adams. Rose motifs on both the pavers and shelters, by Leticia Huerta. River stone benches, by Hoss Haley, and track fencing with pin oak leaves, by Shaun Cassidy.[8]
Side platform, doors will open on the right 
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| Southbound | ← Lynx Blue Line toward I-485/South Boulevard (East/West) |
| Northbound | Lynx Blue Line toward UNC Charlotte–Main (Carson) → |
| Side platform, doors will open on the right
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References
edit- ^ "Bland Station". Charlotte Area Transit System. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Streetcar Systems - North Carolina". Railway Preservation. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "Charlotte, NC". APTA Streetcar and Heritage Trolley Site. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ Coto, DaNica (February 6, 2006). "History on Hiatus: Trolley makes last run for a year". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 3B.
- ^ Harrison, Steve; Valle, Kristen (November 25, 2007). "Light rail, heavy traffic: Thousands wait in lines for a free ride on 1st day". The Charlotte Observer. p. 1A.
- ^ Harrison, Steve (April 16, 2008). "Trolley joining Lynx on light-rail tracks". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B.
- ^ "Service Change - June 28, 2010". Charlotte Area Transit System. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010.
- ^ "Bland Street Station: Art in Transit". Charlotte Area Transit System. Archived from the original on March 23, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
External links
edit
Media related to Bland Street station at Wikimedia Commons- Bland Station
- South End Charlotte
