Allen-Medical Campus (Metro Rail)
Allen/Medical Campus | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Metro Rail station | ||||||||||||
 Inbound train arriving at Allen/Medical Campus Station | ||||||||||||
| Location |
929 Main Street Buffalo, New York 14202 | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 42°53′57.75″N 78°52′10.30″W / 42.8993750°N 78.8695278°W | |||||||||||
| Owned by | Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority | |||||||||||
| Line(s) | ||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 side platforms | |||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||
| Structure type | Underground | |||||||||||
| Depth | 40 feet (12 m) | |||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||
| Fare zone |
Free fare (southbound) Paid fare (northbound) | |||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||
| Opened | May 20, 1985 | |||||||||||
| Previous names | Allen-Hospital (May 20, 1985-September 1, 2003) | |||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||
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Allen/Medical Campus (formerly Allen-Hospital until September 1, 2003) is a Buffalo Metro Rail station located at the corner of Main and Allen Streets at the northern end of Buffalo, New York's downtown and is the last underground station to the south requiring payment before entering the Free Fare Zone.
Bus routes serving Allen/Medical Campus Station
Allen/Medical Campus Station is one of only four stations that does not offer an off-road bus loop, requiring passengers to board/debark using curbside stops (the other three being Summer-Best Station, located 2,112 feet north, Humboldt-Hospital, located 11,616 feet north and Amherst Street, located 16,896 feet north). (Note: Due to construction of the new School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences medical school that is slated to open in the summer of 2017, route 7 buses heading toward the H.H. Richardson Complex Administration Building, route 8 buses heading toward University Station and route 29 buses heading toward Delavan/Canisius College Station temporarily board at the corner of Main and Carlton Streets, located 528 feet south.) Route 7 buses heading downtown and route 8 buses heading toward Marine Drive do not board at the curb at the same side as the station, which is served by six bus routes:
- NFTA
- 7 Baynes-Richmond
- 8 Main
- 29 Wohlers
- 64 Lockport (inbound)
- 66 Williamsville (outbound)
- 67 Cleveland Hill (outbound)
- University at Buffalo shuttles
- Blue Line - serves as a shuttle van to University at Buffalo-affiliated locations of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus from the University at Buffalo-South Campus.
Artwork
In 1979, an art selection committee was created, composed of NFTA commissioners and Buffalo area art experts, that would judge the artwork that would be displayed in and on the properties of eight stations on the Metro Rail line. Out of the 70 proposals submitted, 22 were chosen and are currently positioned inside and outside of the eight underground stations. Allen/Medical Campus Station is home of four pieces of work, from Richard Friedberg (New York City), Scott Burton (New York City); Charles Clough (New York City); and Alberto Cappas, Juan Gonzalez and Olga Mendell of the Latin Gallery (Buffalo). Richard Friedberg's offers an objective sculpture made of aluminum and steel. It is polychromed with highly durable paint and high gloss coloration. It is located on a wall over the escalator between the mezzanine and the level between the mezzanine and train platforms. Charles Clough offers riders a large photographic mural based on the work of Charles Burchfield, Buffalo's most famous painter. The Latin Gallery group offers riders a wall located along a sidewalk at the south end of the station in bright colors, and containing selected excerpts from chosen poetry. The work is on colored enamel fused to copper tile. Though subtle, Scott Burton offers riders a pair of bronze benches located in the middle of the mezzanine near the ticket vending machines. The two benches pay tribute to the American Arts and Crafts Movement. The benches represent uptown and downtown directions to the station. Each of the benches are life-sized and invite participation, by passengers sitting in them.
Notable places nearby
Allen/Medical Campus Station is located near:
- Allentown
- Anchor Bar
- Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus
- Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute
Unusual operations
Since Allen/Medical Campus Station serves as a terminal, immediately south is a double crossover. During the weekends of August 9–10, 2013, July 18–20, 2014, June 6–7, 2015, June 13–14, 2015, June 26–27, 2015 and August 22–23, 2015, due to construction issues, Allen/Medical Campus Station temporarily served as the southern terminus. As a result, NFTA-Metro offered shuttle buses to accommodate passengers between Allen/Medical Campus Station and Erie Canal Harbor Station, with each shuttle running every 15 minutes. From February 16-March 16, 2015, from April 20-May 18, 2015 and from September 8–25, 2015, due to construction of the new University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Allen/Medical Campus Station was temporarily closed. Passengers who wished to access the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus were instructed to deboard the train at Summer-Best Station, as it will temporarily serve as the southern terminus of the paid fare zone. As a result, NFTA-Metro will offer shuttle buses to accommodate passengers to the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus, with each shuttle running every 10 minutes to the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus.