St. Louis Metrolink
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| Locale | St. Louis metropolitan area |
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| Transit type | Light rail |
| Began operation | July 1993 |
| System length | 46 mi (74 km) |
| No. of lines | 2 |
| No. of stations | 37 |
| Daily ridership | 49,287 (FY 2006) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) |
| Operator | Bi-State Development Agency dba Metro |
MetroLink is a light rail transit system in the Greater St. Louis area of Missouri and Illinois. The system currently consists of two lines connecting Lambert-Saint 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 49,287 people each weekday (FY 2006).[1]
A second line, the "Cross-County Extension," opened to the public August 26, 2006. This 8-mile-long, 9-station line connects Washington University, Clayton, the popular Saint Louis Galleria shopping center and Shrewsbury to the system.[2]
Further extensions are under study, but no alignments have yet been chosen, engineered or funded. A 5.3 mile eastward extension of the existing line to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, a civilian airport sharing runways with Scott AFB, has been proposed; however, there are no current plans to fund or build it.
MetroLink is operated by the Bi-State Development Agency, which since 2003 is doing business as Metro.
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[edit] 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 1993, and the line was extended westward to Lambert Airport Main station in 1994. At that time another station, East Riverfront, was opened in East St. Louis. Four years later, in 1998, the Lambert Airport East station was added. 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).[1]
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.[1]
In May 2003, a 3.5-mile 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.[1]
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, 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. The rail portion of the extension opened to the public August 26, 2006, although some ancillary work—most notably, the construction of a parking garage at the Brentwood I-64 station—will not be complete until spring of 2007.
[edit] 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. [3][4]
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.
[edit] 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. Childer 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.[5]
[edit] List of stations
[edit] Lambert Airport Main
Lambert Airport Main to Shiloh-Scott
- Lambert Airport Main
- Lambert Airport East
- North Hanley
- UMSL North
- UMSL South
- Rock Road
- Wellston
- Delmar Loop
- Forest Park-DeBaliviere (transfer to Shrewsbury branch)
- Central West End
- Grand
- Union Station
- Civic Center
- Stadium
- 8th & Pine
- Convention Center
- Arch-Laclede's Landing
- East Riverfront
- 5th & Missouri
- Emerson Park
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center
- Washington Park
- Fairview Heights
- Memorial Hospital
- Swansea
- Belleville
- College
- Shiloh-Scott
[edit] Shrewsbury Lansdowne I-44
Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 to Emerson Park
- Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 (800 park-and-ride spaces)
- Sunnen
- Maplewood-Manchester
- Brentwood I-64 (200 park-and-ride spaces)
- Richmond Heights
- Clayton (hourly/monthly paid parking available)
- Forsyth
- University City-Big Bend
- Skinker
- Forest Park-DeBaliviere (transfer to Lambert Branch)
- Trains continue to operate eastbound along the Lambert Airport branch and terminate at Emerson Park.
[edit] Further Plans
- St. Clair County Extension Phase III: Shiloh-Scott to Mid-America Airport
- Metro South: Shrewsbury to Butler Hill
- Daniel Boone: Clayton to Westport
- Northside: Downtown to Goodfellow & I-70 to St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley
- Southside: Downtown to Bayless to Butler Hill
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Inside Metrolink. Metro. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ Metro (7 Aug. 2006). Metro Announces August 26 Grand Opening Date for Cross County MetroLink Extension. Press release.
- ^ Siemens AG - Projects - Rolling Stock. Siemens AG. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ SD460 Light Rail Vehicle - St. Louis (PDF). Siemens AG. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
- ^ Fare Chart. Metro. Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
[edit] External links
- MetroLink Official Website
- Crosscounty Extension Project
- East West Gateway Metrolink planning and corridor information
- Citizens for Modern Transit
- Northside-Southside Study
- Saint Louis MetroLink Map at UrbanRail.Net
- St. Louis, Missouri at world.nycsubway.org
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