NextStop STL

Congratulations to the Vandeventer Bridge demolition and construction team…the bridge is now open to MetroLink service between the Central West End and Grand stations.  It opens today, three days ahead of schedule. The $5-million project to replace the 80-year-old bridge is due to a federal grant for transit capital projects.  The bridge had a number [...]

There is no eating or drinking allowed on MetroLink, MetroBuses, or Call-A-Ride vans.  Technically, even drinking water is prohibited (exceptions are made for emergencies).  And yes, that includes your morning coffee.  You can still carry food or beverage onto the vehicles, but you are asked not to consume them, and security can issue citations for [...]

Thanks to the Post-Dispatch, Metro holds a live online chat every other Wednesday at noon, hosted on the Post-Dispatch website. You have to have a login set up on the STLtoday website, but you can submit your questions any time before or during the chat once you’re logged in. We also keep a transcript of [...]

In the excitement and chaos of planning big Thanksgiving dinners and plotting our Black Friday shopping routes, we at NextStop just want to pause a moment and say, Thank you. Thank you for making NextStop a part of your daily or weekly routine. Thanks for reading, for linking, and for thinking about what’s going on [...]

Yesterday, Metro’s Engineering Department celebrated the successful completion of the new paint booth facility that I mentioned previously. A small ribbon-cutting ceremony was held yesterday morning out at the Illinois MetroLink Yard facility in East St. Louis, where the paint booth was built. The new paint booth facility was constructed by Plocher Construction and, thanks to [...]

In July 2009, Metro installed the public art piece Hive by sculptor Janet Lofquist at the Delmar Transit Plaza on the corner of Des Peres and Delmar Avenue.  Public art is one aspect of the federally-mandated transit enhancement projects that Metro completes each year, and is an important component of the vitality of public transit.   [...]

Last Friday, Metro’s Board of Commissioners announced that Bob Baer, who has been serving as interim CEO since early last year, will stay on at Metro as the permanent CEO. The St. Louis Business Journal has a nice article about the news (as well as a much better picture of Mr. Baer than what I [...]

As our readers are aware, Metro has been making many changes over the past two years under the leadership of our current President & CEO, Bob Baer. This blog has been one such change. Now here comes a big change: Under Mr. Baer’s leadership and that of our new Chief of Planning and System Development, [...]

Our long-range planner, Mark, attempted to attend the big TIF public hearing on McKee’s Northside redevelopment plan last night. As many of you know, the city marshals were turning people away at the door because the hearing room was full to capacity. One of those people turned away at the door, unfortunately, was Mark. Metro [...]

On Thursday (September 10), Metro’s Arts in Transit will be hosting the dedication ceremony for artist Janet Lofquist’s new sculpture. The piece was commissioned by Metro for the Delmar Loop Transit Plaza. The ceremony is open to the public, so if you’ve ever been curious about public art, Metro’s Arts in Transit program, or just [...]