RIDER ALERTS: Jan. 28-29 Welcome Home Our Heroes Parade and WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Courtney

St. Louis is the first city in the nation to host a Welcome Home Our Heroes Parade for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and many people are expected to travel downtown this weekend. Here’s what you need to know to travel by transit this chilly January weekend to the parade and the WWE event at Scottrade Center.

Welcome Home Our Heroes Parade –
Saturday, January 28, 2012, Noon – Kiener Plaza

MetroLink
Access the parade via the Civic Center, Union Station or 8th & Pine MetroLink Stations. MetroLink will run on a regular weekend service Saturday and Sunday.

MetroBus
Access the parade through MetroBus routes heading into the Civic Center Transit Center at 14th and Spruce Streets.
To accommodate the parade, several MetroBus routes will be rerouted:
#41 Lee, #70 Grand, #74 Florissant, #94 Page, #97 Delmar, #99 Downtown Trolley
#4 Natural Bridge, #10 Gravois, #11 Chippewa, #30 Soulard, #40 Broadway
The bus routes will still provide access to the parade for passengers; use the Rider Alert page to follow directions.

World Wide Entertainment Wrestling Royal Rumble
Sunday, January 29, 2012 6:45 p.m. Scottrade Center

MetroLink
Access the event via Civic Center MetroLink Station. MetroLink will run on a regular weekend service on Sunday.

MetroBus
Access the event through MetroBus routes heading into the Civic Center Transit Center at 14th and Spruce.
Reroutes for all Scottrade Events (to work with traffic) include: #4 Natural Bridge, #10 Gravois Lindell, #30 Soulard, #32 M.L. King Chouteau, #41 Lee, #74 Florissant, #94 Page, and #97 Delmar.
The bus routes will still provide access to the parade for passengers; use the Rider Alert page to follow directions.

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St. Louis Downtown Airport Flight Instructor Shares Stories and Flight Instruction with Tuskegee Airman Ernest Henderson

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Patti

Diane Earhart

Written by Special Contributor Diane Earhart; Administrative Assistant at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia, Illinois

As World War II loomed in 1939, Congress passed the Civilian Pilot Training Act, designating several colleges to provide pilot training to 20,000 students a year.  One of those colleges was Parks College (now part of St. Louis University) which is now named St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia, Illinois.  Another was the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

Over the weekend, millions of movie goers saw the story of The Red Tails, P-51 Mustang pursuit airplanes and the men who flew them.  These pilots would be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Like many young men in 1941, Ernest Henderson wanted to join the U.S. Military to defend his country against the intensifying war in Europe.  Already a proficient pilot and flight instructor, he dreamed of making a difference by flying bombers and fighters.  But Henderson could not fly those airplanes because he was an African American man.

Ernest Henderson. Courtesy: South Carolina Aviation Association

At a 2004 air show in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, Henderson told a reporter, “As a black soldier as I went into the service, we went in with the feeling that we were facing two opponents, facing two different battles.  First, we were facing the battle of segregation and the federal government for not letting us join because of our color and the second battle of the Germans against whom we had to fight.”

Black soldiers in WWII were trained to fly the P-51 Mustang.  The “P” designated it as a “pursuit” airplane, fast and maneuverable.  The P-51s flown by the 99th Pursuit Squadron were distinctive for their red-painted tails.  This squadron, commonly known as The Tuskegee Airmen, was tasked with escorting bombers over Germany, engaging the German fighters and allowing the   American bombers to continue safely to their target.  No bomber escorted by a Red Tail was ever lost in battle.

Henderson trained an average of 20 cadets a year in the Tuskegee program.

“Even though I was hit with great segregation here, I really felt that I could not let that segregation deter me from joining the Army Air Corps and work to keep democracy safe.”

Courtesy: 1973-74 school year Golden Tiger yearbook for Fairwold Middle School, Columbia, South Carolina

After the war ended, Henderson returned to his beloved home state of South Carolina.  It was at Fairwold Middle School, then-student Gary Streeter remembers Henderson as an Assistant Principal.  “He knew all the students and would greet them in the hall, very cordial.  He’d say, ‘Mr. Streeter, how are you today?  Hope your day is well.’  He was very polite, always respectful to all the students.  But don’t get out of line!  I never had a problem, but some students would get in trouble, and they’d get quite a talking to in Mr. Henderson’s office and often met with the “Board of Education” paddle that he kept in his office.”

Seventeen years later, Gary Streeter became a flight instructor at Columbia Downtown Airport.  One afternoon, a man poked his head in Streeter’s office and said, “I need a flight instructor.  Know where I can find one?”  It was Streeter’s former assistant principal, Ernest Henderson.

“Mr. Henderson came in my office; we chatted about school, and he told me about being a Tuskegee Airman.  He had never mentioned it before, but he told me many stories.  He needed to fly a short checkride to satisfy the requirements of the company for him to become a renter of our airplanes.  So, we flew in a Cessna 172 four-passenger airplane, and after the flight I completed the necessary paperwork.  He produced his logbook, and I realized it was a WWII service logbook!  All his flights over Germany were logged in it!”

Gary Streeter

You will find Streeter’s signature in Henderson’s logbook which has been  displayed at the State Museum in South Carolina in an exhibit honoring its favorite aviator, Ernest Henderson.

Today Streeter lives in the St. Louis area and you will find him at St. Louis Downtown Airport where he is a flight instructor for St. Louis Flight Training.  If you’d like to see Streeter’s signature in your own logbook documenting a flight lesson, call St. Louis Flight Training at 618-670-5782 or contact Streeter at GaryPilot@aol.com or 618-641-1822.

The Henderson quotes featured in this blog are from video interviews about Tuskegee Airmen courtesy of South Carolina ETV. 

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Rider Alert: #80 First Trip of the Day Leaving Earlier to Facilitate Better Connections to MetroLink

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Patti

An important schedule change is taking place bright and early tomorrow morning regarding the #80 Park Shaw MetroBus route.

 The very first trip of the day from Macklind & Arsenal to the Central West End will be starting SIX minutes earlier. That means the bus will leave at 4:24 a.m. now instead of 4:30 a.m. This change will allow the #80 passengers to catch the 4:48 a.m. westbound Blue Line train. This will result in a better MetroLink connection for those first customers of the day on the #80 so they can now connect to the first trips of the day on the #58, #158 and #258 at Clayton and Brentwood I-64 stations.

 Signs have been posted at MetroBus stops from Macklind & Arsenal to the Central West End to let customers know the new schedule goes into effect tomorrow morning.

 

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MetroLink Maintenance Will Cause Slight Delays for Late Night Customers This Week

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Patti

Metro workers will inspect the overhead MetroLink wires in Illinois between the Belleville and Swansea stations beginning at 9:30 p.m. tonight, Jan. 23, and every night through Friday night, Jan.27. To accommodate the late night inspections, MetroLink will operate trains on a single track until the end of service each night.

As a result, Red Line customers may experience 5-minute delays while Blue Line service will not be affected by the inspections.

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MetroLink Customers to be Shuttled By Bus Between Five Stations This Weekend

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Courtney

Due to major construction work near the UMSL South MetroLink Station, Metro will not operate trains between the Wellston MetroLink Station and the North Hanley MetroLink Station January 21-22. Customers will be transported by bus shuttles between those stations and should allow an extra 20 to 25 minutes for their commutes Saturday and Sunday.

MetroLink will operate on a single track Friday evening in preparation of the weekend construction.  Regular MetroLink service will resume at the start of service on Monday, January 23.

Starting at 11:30 p.m. on Friday, January 20, MetroLink will run trains only on one track at the Wellston, Rock Road, UMSL South, UMSL North, and North Hanley stations through the end of service Friday night. Red Line customers may encounter 10 minute delays. Blue Line service will not be impacted.

Beginning at start of service Saturday, January 21 through end of service Sunday, January 22, eastbound passengers at the North Hanley MetroLink Station will need to board shuttle buses which will transport them to the UMSL North, UMSL South, Rock Road and Wellston stations. When passengers arrive at the Wellston station, they can board the train and continue their eastbound trips.

Westbound passengers at the Wellston MetroLink Station should board the shuttle buses to take them to the Rock Road, UMSL South, UMSL North, and North Hanley stations. When passengers arrive at North Hanley, they can resume their westbound trips on the train.

Red Line MetroLink customers should allow for delays of 20 to 25 minutes.  Blue Line service will not be affected.  Updates on MetroLink operations can be found at www.metrostlouis.org in the Rider Alert section.

To accommodate Blues fans taking MetroLink to the game Saturday night, extra buses will be added to the shuttle starting at 5:30 p.m. Saturday night (Jan. 21). The bus shuttles will transport fans and MetroLink passengers from the North Hanley station to the Wellston station. After the Blues game, Metro will provide extra buses to transport fans from the Wellston MetroLink Station to the North Hanley.

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Late Night MetroLink Maintenance Will Cause Minor Delays

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Patti

Metro employees will inspect the overhead MetroLink wires in Illinois between the Belleville and College stations starting at 9:30 p.m. on January 16, January 17, January 18 and January 19.

To accommodate these late night inspections, MetroLink will operate trains on a single track until the end of service each night.

Red Line passengers may encounter 5-minute delays.

Blue Line service will not be delayed by the inspections.

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Metro Truck Shop Mechanics Share Tips on How to Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Courtney

Metro’s maintenance team has won an international award for preventative maintenance on its transit fleet of buses, paratransit vans, and trains. In addition, Metro also maintains non-revenue vehicles ranging from cars to trucks, to backhoes, to Bobcats.  Some of our customers drive and park their cars at one of Metro’s 32 regional Park-Ride lots. As you head out to park and ride Metro, you need to make sure your vehicle is winter ready. So, we asked our team of truck shop mechanics to give customers some tips on how they can winterize their vehicles.

Matt Butcher (Moro, IL), Mechanic, 14 years at Metro

  • If wiper blades aren’t in the best condition, now is the time to replace them.
  • Switch to a winter-specific wiper fluid. Go ahead and add to wiper fluid already in the wiper fluid reservoir.
  • Now is a good time to check the coolant in the engine to make sure it has the proper freeze protection. Use a test strip (available at auto parts stores) to test existing coolant to meet vehicle standards, available in the owner’s manual.
  • Check the belts and hoses. Cracked belts could break, and soft and spongy hoses can rupture. Then you could lose heat and dump antifreeze all over the road.

Louis Aemisegger (Florissant, MO), Mechanic, 13 years at Metro

  • Put a blanket or jacket, ice scraper flashlight and hand warmers in the vehicle.
  • Check the tire condition. Poor treads can mean getting stuck. Look for cuts, and check the tire’s tread indicator.
  • If needed, warm up the car while scraping the windows, but don’t leave a car unattended. Most new cars don’t need much time to warm up in St. Louis.
  • Verify that the heat works.
  • Slow down, and give yourself more time.
  • Stay off the phone while driving.

Terrence White (St. Louis, MO), Mechanic, 23 years at Metro

  • Check your battery. Read the owner’s manual to find the necessary amps, and check current battery for adequate power. Replace batteries every 3 years.
  • Spray lock lubricant before wintery weather and once a month during the season to keep doors and trunk from freezing up.
  • Check tire pressure (optimal levels will be in the owner’s manual). Tire pressure gauges are available at all auto part stores and are very inexpensive.
  • Low tire pressure could affect traction and may result in poorer fuel economy.
  • Keep a spray bottle of deicer in your vehicle to spray on icy windshields and windows.

Thomas Ward (St. Louis, MO), Truck Shop Leader, 28 years at Metro

  • Carry a cell phone in your vehicle to call 911 in Missouri or Illinois for Emergency Roadside Assistance. You can also reach the Missouri Department of Transportation Motorist Assistance and Emergency Response at *55.
  • If you are comfortable with basic vehicle maintenance, here are a few more advanced tips:
  • Keep a set of jumper cables in your vehicle. To use, place the clips on the good battery/car (red to positive, black to negative of working battery) and place the red “other” clip (i.e., for the non-working car) on the positive terminal on the dead battery.  The black clip then goes to any metal on the engine of the dead car.
  • Never jump a frozen battery, as it could explode. A frozen battery will most likely swell on the side. Call for help or install a new battery.
  • If you are alone and get stuck in the snow or ice, use sand or rock salt you keep in the trunk, or in a pinch, try tree branches or leaves to create traction.
  • If you are helping someone else get out of the ice or snow, push from the side, not the back, of the car in case the car rolls back or kicks up debris.
  • Most importantly, let other people know where you are going, and stick to the directions.

These tips are from professional mechanics, but like all suggestions, please use your own judgment, and seek advice from your personal mechanic.

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MetroBus Will Transport Customers to Five Downtown and East St. Louis MetroLink Stations This Weekend

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Courtney

Due to construction near the East Riverfront MetroLink Station, Metro will not operate trains between the Emerson Park MetroLink Station and the Stadium MetroLink Station January 14-15. Customers will be transported by bus shuttles between those stations and should allow extra time for their commutes Saturday and Sunday. MetroLink will operate on a special schedule starting Friday evening in preparation of the weekend construction.  Regular MetroLink service will resume at the start of service January 16.   

Starting at 8 p.m. on January 13

Blue Line Service will only operate from the Shrewsbury MetroLink Station to the Civic Center MetroLink Station. Blue Line customers should build an extra 10 minutes into their commutes to transfer to the Red Line. Red Line customers will not be affected.

 Starting at 11 p.m. on January 13

Red Line trains will begin operating at reduced speeds between the Arch-Laclede’s Landing MetroLink Station and 5th and Missouri MetroLink Station due to construction activity. Red Line and Blue Line customers should prepare for additional delays of 15 to 20 minutes through the end of service.

 Beginning at start of service on January 14 through end of service January 15

Blue Line service will only operate between the Shrewsbury MetroLink Station and the Central West End MetroLink Station.

Red Line service will only operate between Lambert Airport and the Stadium MetroLink Station and between the Emerson Park MetroLink Station and the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station.

Customers will be transported by bus shuttles between the Emerson Park MetroLink Station and the Stadium MetroLink Station. Blue Line and Red Line passengers can expect 20-30 minute delays Saturday and Sunday. 

MetroLink will provide 10 minute service from the Central West End MetroLink Station to the Forest Park MetroLink Station.

 20-minute service will be provided between:

- Emerson Park and Shiloh-Scott stations
- Stadium and Central West End stations
- Forest Park and Lambert Airport Terminal #1 stations
- Forest Park and the Shrewsbury stations

Metro will operate bus shuttles all weekend. Passengers should look for signs and/or Metro and St. Clair County Transit District personnel to direct them to the bus shuttles.

The Express shuttle will transport MetroLink customers between the Stadium and Emerson Park stations with no stops.

The local bus shuttles will pick up and drop off MetroLink customers at the Stadium station, 8th and Pine station, Convention Center station, Arch-Laclede’s Landing station, East Riverfront station, 5th and Missouri station, and the Emerson Park station.

St. Louis Blues Hockey Saturday, January 14 – MetroBus Shuttles for Illinois Riders After the Game

Eastbound Blues fans who take MetroLink home should look for the Illinois Express bus shuttles parked on Clark Street outside the Scottrade Center, facing west, Saturday night after the game. The Illinois Express shuttle will drop off passengers at the East Riverfront MetroLink Station, 5th and Missouri MetroLink Station and the Emerson Park MetroLink Station. Eastbound fans who miss the special shuttles after the Blues game, can take MetroLink from the Civic Center station to the Stadium station and board the bus shuttles there to continue eastbound.    

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A Visit From Rhythm & Rails (or Twas Music on The Holiday Magic Train)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Courtney


Twas the weekend before Christmas, and all through the tracks
Many riders were waiting, red cheeks and backpacks
For garland was hung from the overheads with care,
The Holiday Magic Train soon would be there!

Then, out on the platform there arose such a clatter,
We sprang from the bench to see what was the matter.
Toward the open doors we flew like young deer,
Stepped onto the train and rubbed our cold ears.

The twinkling white lights, holiday paper ceiling to floor
Gave the spirit of the holidays to riders on board
And, what did we find, just past the train door,
But a six-piece brass band, snare drum and more.

With a driver whose warm voice did explain
I knew in a moment this must be our train!
Jollier than jelly, his announcements they came,
Introduced the band and called them by name!

“Now Tuba! Now Drum! Now, Trumpet! Now Saxophone!
On, Trombone! On Guitar! On Cymbals! On Sousaphone!
To the end of the alignment! To the end of Red Line!
Now play away! Sing away! And have a good time!”

As warning whistles before the rushing train fly
Sounds of FB Brass Band, did mount to the sky
So all through Red Line the music did play
For happy children and families traveling their way.

And then, on Sunday came more tidings of yule
The strums and the twangs of St. Louis Folk School.
Great musicians of traditional Americans sounds
Played on the Blue Line, Shrewsbury bound.

They strummed on the guitar, they picked the banjo,
They plucked on the fiddle, they played the dobro.
A gaggle of close friends, cheered from the seats,
With the riders aboard, tapping their feet.

The lovers how they drew close! The children how they smiled!
The older riders how they sang along, wide-eyed like a child
All enjoying songs of the St. Louis music scene,
With the snowflakes made up of white fleur-de-lis.

Thank you to KDHX, for all their hard work,
And Sleepy Kitty Arts for their festive artwork,
And FB Brass Band, and their funky good times,
And the Folk School of St. Louis and their folkly twang and rhymes!

Thank you to the operators, mechanics and staff
And most of all the riders who rode, giggled and laughed.
The Holiday Train is over, but not its good cheer,
Rhythm and Rails to St. Louis, and we’ll see you next year.

***

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Rider Alert: MetroLink Evening Single Track Schedule January 8-10

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Courtney

Metro will operate trains on a single track near the East Riverfront MetroLink Station on January 8, January 9, and January 10, 2012. Starting at 8 p.m. through the end of service Sunday night, Monday night, and Tuesday night, MetroLink will implement single track operations in order to accommodate construction work near the East Riverfront MetroLink Station.

Blue Line trains will ONLY operate from the Shrewsbury Station to the Civic Center Station. Blue Line riders should add 10 minutes to their commutes. Red Line passengers will not be affected.

Westbound Blue Line passengers traveling between the Fairview Heights and the Civic Center MetroLink Stations should board a Red Line train to the Civic Center MetroLink Station to transfer to a Blue Line train.

Eastbound Blue Line passengers traveling between the Civic Center MetroLink Station and the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station should board a Red Linetrain at Civic Center to continue eastbound.

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