DMR Architects, a leading full-service architectural firm dedicated to progressive, innovative and sustainable, high-quality design, has announced that the Meadowlands Rail Station, part of the larger Meadowlands Railroad and Roadway Improvement Project, will be open to the public as of July 26. A ribbon cutting and inaugural run at the new station is planned for July 20 at 2:00 p.m. DMR Architects designed the train station as part of the transportation improvement initiative.

“We were charged with designing a new rail transportation facility, which terminates the new two-mile long track system that spurs off the Pascack Valley Line,” said Kurt Vierheilig, project manager and senior designer for DMR Architects. “It’s surprisingly simple and efficient. The pedestrian overpass connects several platforms and a pedestrian plaza along with a series of ramps along the 950-foot-long station. Its main purpose is to service Xanadu and the new football stadium, which will be completed in 2010.”

The train station is the first of its kind for the area, as well as the first station that DMR Architects has designed, and will allow passengers to travel from northern New Jersey, midtown Manhattan and Long Island through Secaucus Junction Transfer Station to the stadium and entertainment complex.

“It’s wonderful that finally train transportation will be an option for so many people to access the Meadowlands Complex,” DMR Architects President and CEO Lloyd Rosenberg said. “This is truly a destination station, one where people are coming with a specific purpose and destination in mind. We are incredibly proud to be a part of this project, which opens up the Meadowlands area to so many residents of New Jersey and New York.”

The Meadowlands area previously had bus lines providing the only mass transportation service. Initially, trains will operate for stadium events that figure to draw more than 50,000 people, including Giants and Jets preseason and regular season games, major concerts and Gold Cup soccer matches. The project will also serve Meadowlands Xanadu, the $1.3 billion family entertainment and office complex currently under construction, as well as the new Meadowlands Stadium, Izod Arena and Meadowlands Racetrack.

The Meadowlands Railroad and Roadway Improvement Project is a multi-agency cooperative effort to provide a mass transportation alternative to access the New Jersey Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex. The overall construction program includes both railroad and highway projects, with $150 million in funding for the new rail station and related work provided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Pedestrian movement influenced the station’s design and layout – it had to be intuitive and clearly identifiable for all patrons, according to Vierheilig. The news station features large circulation stair, overpass and ramp systems to move people to their desired platform safely and efficiently.

(DMR Architects)