Central Park is a Regional Transportation District (RTD) commuter rail and bus station on the A Line in the Central Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The station is the third eastbound station from Union Station in Downtown Denver and fourth westbound from Denver International Airport. The station is about 13 minutes from Downtown Denver and 24 minutes from Denver International Airport.
Central Park | |||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||
Location | 8175 East Smith Road Denver, Colorado | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 39°46′13.3″N 104°53′29.9″W / 39.770361°N 104.891639°W | ||||||||||
Owned by | Regional Transportation District | ||||||||||
Line(s) | East Corridor[1] | ||||||||||
Platforms | 2 side platforms | ||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
Connections | RTD Bus: 28, 37, 38, 42, 43, 65, 73, 88, 105 | ||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||
Structure type | At-grade | ||||||||||
Parking | 1,500 spaces | ||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | 8 lockers, 14 racks | ||||||||||
Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | April 22, 2016 | ||||||||||
Passengers | |||||||||||
2019 | 5,080 (avg. weekday)[2] | ||||||||||
Rank | 9 out of 69 | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
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Central Park station is served by several TheRide bus routes and also has 1,500 parking spaces in a park-and-ride lot, the largest on the A Line.[3]
History
editThe station is located near Smith Road and Central Park Boulevard in the redevelopment area of the decommissioned Stapleton International Airport. It replaced the Stapleton Park and Ride. The bus service to the station opened on September 13, 2015, replacing with bus canopies and paved lots, unlike the old area.[4] Train service to the station on the A Line began on April 22, 2016.[5]
Station layout
editSide platform | |
Westbound | ← A toward Union Station (40th & Colorado) |
Eastbound | → A toward Denver Airport (Peoria) → |
Side platform | |
The station has two entrances, both located on Smith Road. They both enter into the eastbound platform, requiring passengers on the westbound platform to cross train track. The station features a large bus bay and park-n-ride, both of which are separated from the train platform by Smith Road. There is no access to the station from the north.
Public art
editCentral Park station features the sculpture Balloon Man Running, commissioned as a part of RTD's Art-n-Transit program. The art piece was created by Sean O'Meallie and installed in 2016. It is 12 feet tall and sits on a 20 foot tall platform above the station's park-n-ride lot. The piece is said to represent the "anyman" running to catch a train, in addition to being a visual landmark within the station.[6][7][8]
References
edit- ^ "East & I-225 Rail Corridors Preliminary Service Plan" (PDF). Regional Transportation District. June 2017. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ "Rail Station Activity Analyzed" (PDF). Regional Transportation District (RTD). September 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ "University of Colorado A Line Stations & Parking". RTD. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Vaccarelli, Joe (September 30, 2015). "Central Park station park-n-Ride now open, serving buses in Stapleton". The Denver Post. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Whaley, Monte; Aguilar, John (April 22, 2016). "A-train to Denver airport opens to public, hundreds wait to ride". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "Balloon Man Running in Denver, CO". Public Art Archive. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Art-n-Transit". RTD. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
- ^ "The Best New Public Art in Denver in 2018...and Through the Decade". Westword. April 10, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2024.