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Since we’ve gotten a lot of comments from riders having difficulties using Google Transit (our new default trip planning application at www.metrostlouis.org), I asked the St. Louis Beacon if we could post their BeaconTech video tutorial on how to use Google Transit.  They happily obliged.  Please watch (the tutorial starts at about 1:36): Nextstop is working with our IT department to create a tutorial and FAQ for Google Transit trip planning, aided by your feedback.  In the meantime, hopefully this video will help demonstrate some of Google Transit’s features and applications.

Did you know that Metro is carrying on a Bus Stop Enhancement program? Last year, 65 bus stops – mainly in St. Louis County – were upgraded to ADA compliance, thanks to a Freedom Grant  that Metro received from the FTA for this very purpose. This year, 115 additional stops have been flagged for upgrades.

Bus stops in St. Louis area that have already received ADA upgrades

Working list of bus stops to receive ADA-compliance upgrades in 2010

A little background: The Americans With Disabilities Act was enacted in 1990 to provide protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Part of that mission includes ensuring that public facilities, like courthouses and bus stops, are accessible to all. It’s particularly important for transit to be accessible, because people who are dependent on transit due to disability absolutely must be able to access our facilities! Our old bus stops were “grandfathered in” but any new stops we build have to be ADA-compliant. What to do about those old stops, though? We want to upgrade these stops to make our system as accessible as possible, even though the law says we don’t have to. That’s where the Freedom Grant comes in – it supplies the funds necessary to bring the old stops into compliance and provide much-needed mobility to our transit-dependent customers. I recently sat down with Dave Sander in Metro’s Engineering Department and with Lance Peterson and Linda Baker in Metro’s Planning Department to discuss Metro’s Bus Stop Enhancement program. Here’s what I learned:

• Metro planners surveyed each one of our 9,100+ (at the time) bus stops to determine which were ADA-compliant and which were not.
• Metro planners developed criteria to help prioritize which stops needed help first; factors included: Number of customers using the stop, whether the stop was a transfer point (a place where you can get off one bus and catch another), whether ADA-compliance was technically possible at a stop, who the stop serves, the condition of adjacent sidewalks, and more.
• Metro partnered with Paraquad for input and reviewed customer complaints, along with the above criteria, to decide which stops would be addressed first.

Bad sidewalk at St. Louis Ave. & Newstead

“Enhancements” are different depending on the location of each stop, but include:

- creating the concrete “landing pad” for boarding the bus
- adding a concrete pad for a bench
- correcting the slope of adjacent sidewalks
- adding missing accessible curb ramps,

and even in some cases fixing sidewalks that were, as the planners put it, in “deplorable” condition – even if those sidewalks don’t technically belong to Metro. In some cases, fixing the sidewalks was the only way to get the slope down to ADA compliance. The planners then share that information with St. Louis County, the City, and the municipal streets departments to alert them when sidewalk conditions are bad. At the same time, Metro is using the information gained from this project to evaluate each bus route, stop by stop, to eliminate unnecessary stops and improve operating speeds and efficiency. And the planners are adding a unique stop number to each stop, so if customers have a question about schedules or routes, they can give their stop number to Customer Service when they call. The contractor is getting permits and, weather permitting, construction can start any time.

Do you have any bus stops to nominate for this program? If you do, let us know here at the blog and we’ll check with Planning to see whether your stop is on the list.

UPDATE: As of March 17, credit card vending now available also available at all Missouri MetroLink stations.

Now you can use credit cards to purchase MetroLink tickets in Missouri!  Just in time for Mardi Gras.  Metro is now phasing a credit card option into our Missouri MetroLink station ticket vending machines (TVMs).  These TVMs accept Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit cards, including debit cards with these logos.  The following stations now have credit card options:

Airport Main, Central West End, North Hanley, Arch/Laclede’s Landing, Clayton and Civic Center

Not all TVMs at these stations have the credit card option, so look for them.  As a precaution, since this is a newly installed technology, it’s a good idea to have a cash option in case of an emergency.  The rest of the Missouri stations should have access to credit card vending by the end of March.

Here is a quick video demonstration of how to use the credit card option that I took at the Arch/Laclede’s Landing station this afternoon:

Let us know what you think, or if you encounter any problems.

St. Louis Mardi Gras Parade in Soulard.  Photo via prettywar-stl.

Heading to Mardi Gras this weekend!  Us too!  Take Metro shuttles to the Soulard Mardi Gras and avoid the hassles of finding a place to park that isn’t knee-deep in cleared snow and two miles from Broadway.  Saturday, February 13, the Soulard Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle will offer round-trip service to the festivities from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Soulard Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle will run continuously between 14th & Spruce, near the Civic Center MetroLink Station, and 10th Street in Soulard, between Marion & Carroll. Passengers may board or deboard the shuttle at 14th & Spruce and at 10th Street.

The cost of a round-trip shuttle ticket is $5 (cash only). Metro passes and other tickets or transfers are not valid for this shuttle! Regular fares will apply for riding MetroLink, MetroBus or Metro Call-A-Ride to the Soulard Mardi Gras Shuttle pick-up locations.

Shuttle bus tickets will be on sale at the Civic Center MetroLink Station, and other select MetroLink stations, including:

Missouri MetroLink Stations

Shrewsbury-Lansdowne, Brentwood I-64, Clayton, North Hanley, Delmar Loop, Central West End

Illinois MetroLink Stations

East Riverfront, 5th & Missouri, Fairview Heights, Memorial, Swansea, College, Shiloh-Scott

On Saturday, MetroLink will operate rush hour service (trains every 15 minutes) on both the Red and Blue lines. Trains will operate from downtown until approximately 1:00 a.m.

If you plan on taking MetroBus, make note of these planned reoutes:

#30 Soulard

Northbound – Regular route to Broadway and Arsenal, left on Arsenal, right on 13th, immediate left onto I-55 North, exit at Gravois, right on Gravois into Tucker, left on Chouteau, resume regular route.

Southbound – Regular route to Gravois and I-55 South, left onto I-55 South, exit and left on Arsenal, right on 2nd, right on Utah, right on Broadway, left on Arsenal, resume regular route.

#40 Broadway

Northbound – Regular route to Broadway and Arsenal, left on Arsenal, right on 13th, immediate left onto I-55 North, exit at Gravois, right on Gravois into Tucker, left on Chouteau, resume regular route.

Southbound – Regular route to Gravois and I-55 South, left on I-55 South, exit and left on Arsenal, right on Broadway, resume regular route.

#99 Downtown Circulator

Regular route to Broadway and Clark, left on Clark, left on 4th, resume regular route.

Regularly scheduled routes will resume following the parade.

Have fun, be careful, and Happy Mardi Gras!

Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) has produced a short video spot showing support for public transit from some of St. Louis’ local personalities…Mike Shannon, Al Hrabosky, Mark Wrighton of Washington University, Zelema Harris of St. Louis Community Colleges, the President of Ameren, Joe Edwards of the Delmar Loop, even Fredbird.  The take-home message: some of us ride transit, but all of us need it.

Watch:

www.metrostlouis.org

We are proud to introduce a new look for the home page of Metro’s official website Metrostlouis.org!

We have been working hard at Metro to redevelop and redesign the Metrostlouis.org website.  The complete rollout of the Phase One of the project includes a redesign of the home page. Note, this new look and feel is only for the homepage. We wanted to provide an easier “dashboard” into the content our riders use the most.  The homepage prominently displays a trip-planning function, schedule and route info for MetroLink, MetroBus and Call-A-Ride, rider alerts, links to our blog and our long-range plan website, and other relevant transit news.

The other big change is the use of Google Transit as our public-facing trip planning application. Many users have preferred the interface and ease of use of Google Transit. Hopefully this change will make it easier for everyone to plan their trips on Metro’s system.  Google Maps also offers transit directions on smart phones, including information on nearby bus stops and earlier and later trip times.

Also note our social media links in the bottom right corner to our official Facebook fan page and Twitter feed. We are encouraging riders to become Fans and Followers to receive rider alert, important info, and provide feedback to Metro.

Phase Two of the new website includes a total re-working and redesign of the interior pages (yes, we know they are ugly and unfriendly; that is why we are working to change that for you!). Not only will the interior pages match the look and feel of the home page, but you also will see the following changes:

• New menu navigation – we feel the site can be better organized
• Many updates to content, including friendlier use of maps and schedules
• More media content to help you use the system
• Rider stories and experiences

The new website should be finished in the next several months.

Now, we want your feedback. Please leave a comment below!

Kids love trains.  I’m pretty sure trains rank up there with puppies, cartoons, giant lollipops and sprinklers.  Why?  Maybe it’s because trains look like giant versions of the toys we played with on wooden tracks.  Trains are fast, big and can whistle!  And they provide a fascinating look into the engineering, mechanical and operating principles of rail transportation.  Metro offers free tours of our MetroLink facility located on Ewing in St. Louis City near Market Street.  What do these tours have to offer students of all ages?

• How do MetroLink trains run?  (Pssst! Through electricity suspended from catenary lines above the tracks.)
• What happens in the train hospital?
• How is the engine of a light rail train different/similar than an automotive combustion engine?
• How do we fix trains when they have problems?  Especially the REALLY big parts.
• How do we clean trains?
• What type of engineering work does it take to design and/or maintain light rail trains?
• How do trains stop? How do we apply the basic principles of friction to stop trains?
• What do all of those buttons do?  How much does the operator “drive” the train?
• How do we keep trains running to over one million miles???

The tour of the MetroLink facility also includes a look into our communication center, where dispatchers keep track of EVERY bus and train on the system.  The MetroLink communication system shows exactly where the train is and how the tracks and other technical components are operating.  It is where they “talk” to the system.  Students can also watch security dispatch monitoring images from cameras we have throughout the system.

MetroLink Training Manager Suzanne Whitehead said tours also focus on other interesting aspects of the operations, like which jobs are required to keep the system running (everyone from engineers to mechanics to operators to computer programmers) and what types of jobs are available for people who want to work in transit.  She also hopes to integrate a scavenger hunt-type activity for riding on MetroLink that pays attention to its mechanical, design and land use features.

And the tours are not just limited to kids…if you’d like to take a tour and find out what light rail is all about, you just need to schedule ahead.  After all, it’s your public transit system.  Come see how interesting it looks from the bottom up.

In addition to the blog and Metro’s official Twitter feed, STLMetro, we are now on Facebook at www.facebook.com/STLMetro. 

Become a fan, leave comments, suggestions for improving service, find out Metro and transit news, share information about Metro with your friends, and engage with other St. Louis transit supporters.   If you have an idea for information you want to share with your friends (what Metro does, how we are funded, etc.), let us know.

As part of Metro’s plan to tell the region about our Moving Transit Forward long-range plan and to gather community feedback, we will be presenting at a series of city council meetings across the region. In case you can’t attend one of our public meetings, or want to find out how public transit affects your city, here is a list of upcoming city council presentations:

View Metro Moving Transit Forward Presentations to City Councils in a larger map

1/26/10 7:00 PM Ferguson
2/1/10 7:00 PM St. John
2/1/10 7:00 PM Brentwood
2/2/10 7:00 PM Rock Hill
2/2/10 7:30 PM Black Jack
2/2/10 7:30 PM Clarkson Valley
2/2/10 7:30 PM Normandy
2/2/10 7:30 PM Pine Lawn
2/2/10 7:30 PM Webster Groves
2/8/10 6:00 PM Uplands Park
2/8/10 7:00 PM Marlborough
2/8/10 7:00 PM Lakeshire
2/8/10 7:00 PM Town and Country
2/8/10 7:15 PM Oakland
2/8/10 7:30 PM Dellwood
2/9/10 6:15 PM Clayton
2/9/10 7:00 PM Crestwood
2/10/10 7:00 PM Country Club Hills
2/10/10 7:30 PM Winchester
2/10/10 7:30 PM Velda City
2/16/10 7:30 PM Vinita Park
2/16/10 7:00 PM Frontenac
2/16/10 7:00 PM Warson Woods
2/16/10 7:30 PM Grantwood Village
2/18/10 7:00 PM Hanley Hills
2/22/10 4:00 PM Ladue
2/22/10 7:00 PM Jennings
2/23/10 4:00 PM St. Louis County
2/23/10 7:30 PM Olivette
2/25/10 TBD Fenton
2/25/10 7:00 PM Bella Villa
3/1/10 7:30 PM Richmond Heights
3/15/10 7:00 PM Breckenridge Hills

Metro engages in two areas of activity: one, transit operations for MetroLink, MetroBus and Metro Call-A-Ride, and two, capital projects.  “Capital” projects are projects that add to the infrastructure of the system – think buses, railroad ties, bridges, and buildings. Major repairs, too, like replacing parts of the track or the overhead catenary system, come out of our capital budget, much of which is funded by grants from the federal government. These projects help maintain the region’s investments by keeping the system running, and through enhancement projects, running better.

The bridge over Vandeventer Avenue, which held two MetroLink tracks and one freight rail track in the Central West End of St. Louis, was 80 years old and falling apart.  Really, it looked like it was physically sagging.   The $5 million replacement project was possible thanks to a federal grant.  Crews began work on December 26, 2009, and the bridge returned to service on December 31.  Watch a time-lapse of the demolition and construction of the Vandeventer Bridge in six days:

(If you can’t see the embedded video, click here.)

The bridge’s makeover will eventually include streetscape enhancements and replacing a crumbling retaining wall, and will be completed in early spring.  In addition to making the bridge safer to carry MetroLink train cars, the project also increased the bridge’s height clearance for automobilies.  This was Metro’s first “Design-Build” project, where Metro works with one contractor to both design and build the project to avoid time delays and added costs.

So the next time you are driving or walking on Vandeventer Avenue, come check it out!