Life-size figures soar high above
the station platform casting shadows
on the ceiling; a sound installation
features the trilling of a bird.
Civic Center
Station
underground station to service confused passengers and provide security presence.
Metro Rail stations tend to be larger than most counterpart stations in the United States. All street-level light rail stations feature platforms with segregation from nearby roads and sidewalks. All heavy rail stations have a mezzanine, which is often heavily decorated while the platform level has a simple design. The large majority of light rail stations are either at ground level or elevated, while a handful are located under-ground. All heavy rail stations are located underground. Each station features unique artwork reflecting local culture and/or the function of transit in society. Subway stations and tunnels are designed to resist earthquakes of up to magnitude 7.5.
All Metro Rail lines run regularly between 5am and midnight, seven days a week. Limited service on particular segments is provided after midnight and before 5am. On Friday
and Saturday evenings, service operates until approximately 2am. There is no rail service between 2am and 3:30am, except on special occasions such as New Year's Eve. Service operates every 5–10 minutes during the peak period, every 10–15 minutes during middays
and during the day on weekends, and every 20 minutes during the evening until the close of service. Exact times vary from route to route.
As of the fourth quarter of 2014, the combined Metro Red and Purple lines averaged a weekday ridership of 153,000, making it the ninth busiest heavy rail (rapid transit) system in the United States. Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's heavy rail lines transport 8,793 passengers per route mile, making this the fifth busiest U.S. rapid transit system on a per mile basis. This is still a far lower per-mile ridership than the transit systems of New York City
56 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016