St. Louis MetroLink

Infobox Public transit
name = St. Louis MetroLink


imagesize = 100px
locale = St. Louis metropolitan area
transit_type = Light rail
began_operation = July 31, 1993
system_length = 46 mi (74 km)
lines = 2
stations = 37
ridership = 67,684 (FY 2007)
track_gauge = RailGauge|sg (standard gauge)
operator = Bi-State Development Agency dba Metro

MetroLink is the light rail transit system in the Greater St. Louis area of Missouri and Illinois. The system currently consists of two lines connecting Lambert-St. Louis International Airport and Shrewsbury, MO with Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, IL through downtown St. Louis. The system features 37 stations and carries an average of 67,684 people each weekday (FY 2007).cite web
url = http://www.metrostlouis.org/InsideMetro/QuickFacts/metrolink.asp
title = Metro - Inside MetroLink
accessdate = 2007-10-23
publisher = Metro]

A second line, the "Cross-County Extension," now known as the Shrewsbury/I-44 Line, opened to the public August 26, 2006. This 8 mile (13 km), 9-station line connects Washington University, Clayton, the popular Saint Louis Galleria shopping center and Shrewsbury to the system.cite press release
title = Metro Announces August 26 Grand Opening Date for Cross County MetroLink Extension
publisher = Metro
date = 7 August 2006
url = http://metrostlouis.org/InsideMetro/NewsRoom/releases/2006-051AUPDATEDCROSSCOUNTYOPENING08-07-06.pdf
accessdate = 2007-06-07
format=PDF]

Further extensions are under study, but no alignments have yet been chosen, engineered or funded.

MetroLink is operated by the Bi-State Development Agency, which since 2003 is doing business as "Metro". [cite press release
title=Bi-State Development Agency Adopts “Metro” As New Name |publisher=Metro
date=2003-01-24
url=http://www.metrostlouis.org/InsideMetro/NewsRoom/2003/2003-002Metro.pdf
accessdate=2008-08-08
format=PDF]

History

Construction on the initial MetroLink alignment from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport to the 5th & Missouri station in East St. Louis began in 1990. The portion between North Hanley and 5th & Missouri stations opened in July 31, 1993, and the line was extended westward to Lambert Airport Main station in 1994. [cite news
title=Takeoff: MetroLink Opens Lambert Stop Saturday
last=Tipton |first=Virgil
date=1994-06-22
publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch] At that time another station, East Riverfront, was opened in East St. Louis. [cite news
title=East St. Louis Starring in MetroLink
last=Goodrich |first=Robert
publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch
date=1994-04-27] Four years later, in 1998, the Lambert Airport East station was added. [cite news
url=http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/1998/12/21/daily11.html
title=2nd MetroLink station opens at Lambert
date=1998-12-23
publisher=St. Louis Business Journal
accessdate=2008-08-07] The capital cost to build the initial phase of MetroLink was $465 million. Of that amount, $348 million was supplied by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

MetroLink exceeded pre-opening ridership estimates, but the system has expanded slowly. Construction on proposed extensions has been delayed by the increasing scarcity of FTA funds. As time has passed, an ever-greater share of the costs has been borne by state and local governments. The most recent work has been entirely funded by local dollars.

Construction on the St. Clair County MetroLink extension from the 5th & Missouri station to the College station in Belleville began in 1998 and opened in May 2001. The extension added eight new stations and seven park-ride lots. The total project cost was $339.2 million, with the FTA and St. Clair County Transit District sharing the burden at 72% ($243.9 million) and 28% ($95.2 million), respectively. Local funding was provided by the St. Clair County Transit District as a result of a 1/2 cent sales tax passed in November 1993.

In May 2003, a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) extension from Southwestern Illinois College to Shiloh-Scott station opened. This $75 million project was funded by a $60 million grant from the Illinois FIRST (Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools, and Transit) Program and $15 million from the St. Clair County Transit District.

The recent Cross-County Extension project was funded by a $430 million Metro bond issue. Metro cited repeated delays and cost overruns as its reasons for firing its general contractor in Summer 2004. The contractor, itself a coalition of four general contractors (Cross County Collaborative), in turn cited excessive change orders by Metro as the cause of the problems. After firing the general contractor, Metro functioned as its own general contractor on the project. Metro sued the Collaborative for $81 million for fraud & mismanagement. The Collaborative counter-sued for $17 million for work that Metrolink hadn't yet paid for. On December 1st, 2007, the jury voted in favor of the Cross County Collaborative, awarding them $2.56 million for work as yet unpaid for.

The rail portion of the extension opened to the public August 26, 2006, and a parking garage at the Brentwood I-64 station opened on June 12, 2007. The garage parks 1000 cars where riders can park for free.

Rolling stock

MetroLink operates a fleet of 87 light-rail vehicles composed of 31 SD-400 and 56 SD-460 vehicles. Each 90 foot long, single articulated vehicle has 4 high platform doors per side and has a capacity of 72 seated and 106 standing passengers. cite web
url = http://www.sts.siemens.com/p_nav4.html#stock
title = Siemens AG - Projects - Rolling Stock
accessdate = 2007-01-23
publisher = Siemens AG] cite web
url = http://www.sts.siemens.com/DS/SD460%20St%20Louis%20DS.pdf
title = SD460 Light Rail Vehicle - St. Louis
format = PDF
publisher = Siemens AG
accessdate = 2007-01-23] The cars are powered by an electric motor which gets its electricity from a catanary wire with a 750 volt current.

Each car has an enclosed operator cab at each end. This allows the most flexible system for managing operations, but prevents travel between cars except at stations. Each car also has separate doors for station level and track level access. In normal operations the track level doors (equipped with stairs) are unused.

There are two train yards in the transit system for the storage and maintenance of light-rail vehicles: the primary yard is located between the Grand and Union Station stops just west of downtown St. Louis; the other yard is located between the JJK and Washington Park stops in Illinois.

Fares

MetroLink uses a proof-of-payment system. Tickets can be purchased at ticket vending machines at the entrance to all stations and must be validated before boarding the train.
* 1 Ride Ticket - $2.00 (reduced fare - $1.00)
* 2 Hour Pass - $2.25 (reduced fare - $1.10)
* 2 Hour Pass from Lambert Airport - $3.50 (reduced fare - $1.75)
* One-Day Pass - $4.50

Reduced fares can be purchased by seniors ages 65+, people with disabilities, and children ages 5-12. Children younger than 5 years of age ride free. Proof of age may be requested of all people riding with reduced fares. Weekly and monthly passes are also available in addition to the fares listed above.cite web
url = http://www.metrostlouis.org/Fares/FareChart.asp
title = Fare Chart
accessdate = 2007-01-23
publisher = Metro]

List of stations

Further Plans

St. Clair County Extension Phase 3: Shiloh-Scott to Mid-America Airport
This 5.3 mile (8.5 km) extension to Mid-America Airport was originally part of the St. Clair County Extension Phase 2 project that extended MetroLink to Shiloh-Scott, but was separated into its own project by the Federal Transit Administration due to low ridership projections. Design work for this extension has been completed, but funding for construction has yet to be secured.cite news
last = Wolinsky
first = Julian
title = For St. Louis, a long-term strategy - St. Louis, MO's rail transit plan
publisher = Railway Age
date = July 2002
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_7_203/ai_90190966
accessdate = 2007-06-07 ]

Metro South: Shrewsbury to Butler Hill
This project would extend the current Shrewsbury branch further into South County and beyond I-255 to Butler Hill Rd. An environmental impact study was completed in 2004; however, selection of a locally preferred alternative was deferred due to the lack of local funding sources as well as many other factors.cite web
url = http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/MetroSouth/metrosouth.htm
title = MetroLink Planning - Metro South
accessdate = 2007-06-01
publisher = East-West Gateway ]

Daniel Boone: Clayton to Westport
A study perfomed in 2000 recommended a new MetroLink line from Clayton, Missouri to Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The line would run North from the Clayton station along the old Rock Island Railroad right-of-way paralleling I-170, then turn West to follow existing TRRA trackage to Page where the line would then follow Page Avenue to Westport Plaza.cite web
url = http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/DanielBoone/danielboone.htm
title = MetroLink Planning - Daniel Boone
accessdate = 2007-06-01
publisher = East-West Gateway ] Metro officials have suggested that this line could be the next MetroLink extension to be built.cite news |url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/0BD71DD25966CE548625749500101DA8?OpenDocument |title=Commuters in St. Charles, Madison counties still waiting for the train|last=Hilligand |first=Terry |coauthors=Bryant, Tim |date=2008-07-29 |publisher=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |accessdate=2008-08-11]

Northside: Downtown to Goodfellow & I-70 to St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valleycite web
url = http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/Northside/northside.htm
title = MetroLink Planning - Northside
accessdate = 2007-06-01
publisher = East-West Gateway ]

Southside: Downtown to Bayless to Butler Hillcite web
url = http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/Southside/southside.htm
title = MetroLink Planning - Southside
accessdate = 2007-06-01
publisher = East-West Gateway ]

Madison County: East St. Louis to Alton or Edwardsville
A feasibility study was performed in 2005 to investigate the potential costs, ridership, and impacts of extending MetroLink into Madison County, Illinois. The recommended alignment options would extend MetroLink from the 5th & Missouri station in East St. Louis north to Madison, Illinois and potentially to Alton or Edwardsville 21-23 miles away. No further studies have been performed nor any sources of funding identified.cite web
url = http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/MadisonCounty/madisoncounty.htm
title = MetroLink Planning - Madison County
accessdate = 2008-08-08
publisher = East-West Gateway ] In 1997, voters in Madison County rejected a half-cent sales tax proposal to fund a MetroLink extension.

ee also

*List of tram and light-rail transit systems

References

* cite news
last = Tuzik
first = Robert
title = What's different about St. Louis light rail - its low cost per track mile
publisher = Railway Age
date = August 1990
url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1215/is_n8_v191/ai_9362671/
accessdate = 2007-05-18
* cite news
title = MetroLink: the long ride from concept to reality
publisher = West End Word
date = 2006-08-30
url = http://www.westendword.com/moxie/news/metrolink-the-long-ride.shtml
accessdate = 2007-06-07

External links

* [http://www.metrostlouis.org/ Metro] MetroLink official website
* [http://www.ewgateway.org/MetroLink/MetroLink.htm East West Gateway] MetroLink planning and corridor information
* [http://www.crosscountymetro.org/ Cross County Extension Project]
* [http://www.northsouthstudy.org/index.htm Northside-Southside Study]
* [http://www.ewgateway.org/metrosouth/ Metro South Study]
* [http://www.cmt-stl.org/ Citizens for Modern Transit]
* [http://urbanrail.net/am/slou/saint-louis.htm St. Louis MetroLink Map at UrbanRail.Net]
* [http://world.nycsubway.org/us/stlouis/ St. Louis, Missouri at world.nycsubway.org]
* [http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-08-20/news/out-of-control-shoplifting-at-the-st-louis-galleria-violent-attacks-in-the-delmar-loop-is-metrolink-a-vehicle-for-crime/ News article on Metro Link and teen crime] Riverfront Times, August 2008.