Bland Street is a light rail station for both the LYNX Blue Line in South End of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The station is located one block south of Bland Street, with walkways (formally Rensselaer Avenue) connecting to nearby Camden Road and South Boulevard.HistoryThe station first opened for service on April 30, 1996, for the historic Charlotte Trolley, with one track and one platform, located north adjacent to Bland Street. After nearly a decade of service, the station was closed on February 6, 2006, to be reconstructed for the LYNX Blue Line. During reconstruction, the new Bland Street station was position further south where Rensselaear Avenue formally crossed and the original side platform and structure was razed; a power box currently stands at its former location. The station officially reopened for service on Saturday, November 24, 2007, and as part of its opening celebration fares were not collected. Regular service with fare collection commenced on Monday, November 26, 2007.Public artAs part of the CATS Art in Transit program, Bland Street features several pieces intended to provide a better overall aesthetic for the station. The works include bas-reliefs entitled Hornbeam by Alice Adams, drinking fountain basins designed to look like dogwoods, the North Carolina state flower, by Nancy Blum, rose motifs on both the pavers and shelters by Leticia Huerta, river stone benches by Hoss Haley and track fencing featuring pin oak leaves by Shaun Cassidy.
