U.S. Bank Stadium station (formerly Downtown East/Metrodome (2004–13) and Downtown East (2014–16)) station is a light rail station on the

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

Blue Line and Green Line in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The station is located next to U.S. Bank Stadium, where the

Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (commonly called the Metrodome) was a domed sports stadium located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It opened in 1982 as a replacement for Metropolitan Stadium, the former home of the National Football League ...

plaza used to be at the east end of downtown Minneapolis. It is a side-platform station. Service began at this station when the Blue Line opened on June 26, 2004. In March 2016, the station was renamed to U.S. Bank Stadium station, after the new stadium planned for the Minnesota Vikings; for the station's

naming right Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

s, Metro will receive $300,000 annually from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and the team in the form of in-stadium promotions, advertising and marketing support to encourage transit ridership to stadium events.

Services and connections

The station is served by METRO Green and Blue Lines. It is the primary transfer point between the two lines, as it is the last east/south-bound station shared by the two. Green Line trains feature posters reminding airport-bound passengers to change to the Blue Line at Downtown East. During sporting events at the Metrodome, large crowds used to line up to use the trains. It would take up to an hour for the platforms to return to normal after a big game. Prior to the opening of the METRO Green Line, the station was the main stop for students traveling to the East Bank and West Bank campuses of the

University of Minnesota Twin Cities The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. T ...

, as a few frequent

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

routes ran to campus nearby. Today, the METRO Green Line light rail runs between Minneapolis and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

and now provides a direct connection to the university. Among buses, only Route 3 now serves the station.

Signalling

East of this station, past the crossing of 4th Street and Chicago Avenue, trains enter the segment of the line where

automatic block signaling Automatic block signaling (ABS), spelled automatic block signalling or called track circuit block (TCB ) in the UK, is a railroad communications system that consists of a series of signals that divide a railway line into a series of sections, ...

(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. The two METRO lines split east of the station, over Interstate 35W.

Art

A major feature of the site is a set of large ornamental arches and the plaza paving design, by artist Andrew Leicester, which 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 The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

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.

Notable places nearby

Downtown East Commons Downtown East Commons or The Commons or Commons Park is an urban park in Downtown East, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Opened in July 2016, the park covers two city blocks. The park lies between South 4th and 5th Streets, and between 5th Avenue South and ...

* Guthrie Theater ''(3 blocks)'' *

Hennepin County Medical Center Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) is a Level I adult and pediatric trauma center and safety net hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the county seat of Hennepin County. The primary 484-bed facility is on six city blocks across the street from ...

''(2 blocks)'' *

Hiawatha LRT Trail Hiawatha LRT Trail is a , multi-use path adjacent to a light-rail transit line in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that is popular with bicycle commuters. Users travel along the Metro Blue Line and Hiawatha Avenue transit corridor, reac ...

Minneapolis Armory The Minneapolis Armory is a historic event center and former National Guard armory located in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Built by the Public Works Administration in 1936, the building was occupied by several Army and Naval Mil ...

''(1 block)'' * Former '' Star Tribune'' Headquarters ''(1 block)'' *

Mill City Museum Mill City Museum is a Minnesota Historical Society museum in Minneapolis. It opened in 2003 built in the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill next to Mill Ruins Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. The museum focuses on the founding and growth ...

''(3 blocks)'' *

Samatar Crossing Samatar Crossing is a , shared-use path and innovative urban redesign project in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Posthumously named after Somali-American politician and activist Hussein Samatar, the crossing connects the Downtown East/ El ...

* U.S. Bank Stadium

References

External links

Metro Transit: Downtown East Station
{{Minnesota Metro stations navbox Metro Green Line (Minnesota) stations in Minneapolis Metro Blue Line (Minnesota) stations in Minneapolis Railway stations in the United States opened in 2004 2004 establishments in Minnesota