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Current conditions on Grand Avenue Viaduct.

MetroLink’s Grand Avenue Station is about to undergo a substantial redesign with exciting improvements to become the Scott Avenue Transit Plaza – all while the City of St. Louis replaces the Grand Avenue Viaduct with its own exciting design over the MetroLink tracks.

In cooperation and conjunction with the City’s project, Metro is at the same time improving the MetroLink Station, bus waiting area, and passenger amenities: The Scott Avenue Transit Plaza Project!

The project details:

• Wind and rain shelters on the bridge for Metro customers;
• Removal of on-street parking on Scott Avenue at the MetroLink Station and creation of a 50-70 car park and ride lot;
• Removal of current bus shelters on Scott Avenue;
• Construction of a new transit plaza with seating, vending area, landscaping, and public restrooms;
• Access to MetroLink platform will be changed from east end to west end;
• Elevator and stair towers will be moved north, so they touch down in the new plaza area rather than on the MetroLink platform, for better visibility and line of sight;
• New bus turnout area at the new transit plaza;
• Improved and pedestrian-scale, more welcoming lighting;
• Funded by FTA capital grants (money that can’t be used to support operations, in other words) and local match (required to get federal capital dollars).

Meanwhile, the City of St. Louis will be replacing  the six undivided lanes with four divided lanes plus dedicated bus pullouts (no more buses stopped in traffic on the bridge!), widening sidewalks, and improving pedestrian accommodations on the bridge. The city’s intent is to make this a “signature bridge” for St. Louis.

The new transit plaza area will be built under the bridge where the bridge piers (supports) are located now. (Those piers will be removed when the City demolishes the current bridge.) If you’re finding this hard to visualize, please check out the nifty slideshow we put together for Saint Louis University about this project.

Scott Avenue Transit Plaza CCP Feb 09 2010 (2)

Decorative "organic-feeling" iron fencing.

Metro is working with an artist, Barbara Grygutis, who has helped make the design of the plaza more “organic” and welcoming, with touches like enhancing the fence to a decorative iron fence and using different colored paving stones, including some clear blue stones that will be lit from below with LED lights. Ms. Grygutis will also create a lit art piece in her unique style that will help enhance the area. Check out her website for some images of her previous work. Ms. Grygutis’s work on the project is funded from the 1% public art and enhancement funds as required by federal guidelines.

Metro’s project team, overseen by Senior Project Manager Jerry Wittenauer, also includes the engineering firm Horner & Shifrin, as well as The Lawrence Group and its sister company, Austin Tao & Associates.

We hear a lot of questions at Metro about why we operate the why we do. One of the most persistent questions is:

Why don’t we use turnstiles at MetroLink stations?

The reason for the proof-of-payment system used on MetroLink is that the system would never have been built if it had been designed as a “barrier” system with turnstiles and station attendants as you see in New York and Boston.

The cost of such a turnstile system was far beyond the resources of the St. Louis region, which was financially unable to contribute money for the construction of the original line from 5th and Missouri in Illinois to North Hanley. The “local share” required to match federal construction funds was provided by the City of St. Louis trading the MacArthur Bridge to the Terminal Railway Association in exchange for the Eads Bridge and downtown tunnel, with the value of the trade calculated as the “local share.” Only after the first MetroLink line was built in 1993 did the region levy sales taxes for future construction.

The proof-of-payment system is the current industry standard. Some systems have applied it after determining that they would lose less money to fare evasion than it would cost to build and maintain a barrier (turnstile) collection system. Light-rail systems constructed in the past 20 years are all proof-of-payment systems like St. Louis. They include San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix (under construction), Denver, Los Angeles. Most of the light-rail systems (not subway) in Europe are also proof of payment, as are some of the bus systems.

Nationally, the rate of fare evasion is 6 percent. According to audits of our system, MetroLink experiences a 4 percent fare evasion rate (MetroBus and Call-A-Ride require fare payment upon entry of the vehicle). While a system that allowed no fare evasion is ideal, building and maintaining an effective barrier system, like turnstiles, would be an incredible and prohibitive cost to the system. Los Angeles Metro (MTA) recently decided to test turnstiles on several of their light-rail stations, but only after they reached a critical mass of ridership and system coverage:

“Turnstiles have been discussed by our policy-makers for many years,” said Jane Matsumoto, a deputy executive officer at MTA who manages the TAP program. “In the past, we did not have the ridership or the coverage of service we do now. Proof of payment was much more manageable then.” – LA Times, Aug. 17, 2009

The Transport Politic has questioned the cost-return for investing in turnstiles. The author estimated that it would take 45 years for St. Louis to make up the cost to install and maintain turnstiles at MetroLink stations.

Does that mean that MetroLink will always use a proof-of-payment system? No. As Los Angeles Metro is discovering, when a system reaches a critical point of ridership and system coverage, the cost-benefit of a barrier system becomes much higher, and it becomes more profitable to invest in turnstiles. As Metro ridership and scope hopefully increase in the future, we will have to evaluate the next steps in fare collection and enforcement to accommodate the needs of the system.

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.

During the community workshops in November, the Metro long-term planning team went around the region and conducted community workshops to get a handle on what are St. Louisans’ priorities for transit spending, now and in the future.  People chose which corridors and modes they preferred, and which amenities were important to them.  Now, Metro’s Moving Transit Forward planning team is conducting another round of community workshops to present findings and solicit feedback and answer questions.  At these meetings, Ray Friem and Jessica Mefford-Miller also describe how the planning process works, and explain limitations and future opportunities.

So here is my breakdown of the workshop results:

(more…)

A Chicago mother was faced with a horrific scare yesterday evening: her child’s stroller get caught in the doors of one of the CTA trains and was dragged 75 feet before the child fell 10 feet to a gravel bed below.  Thankfully for all involved, the little girl survived with no serious injuries.  But it’s still a nightmarish thought – getting caught in a moving train door.  It would be a traumatic experience for all involved.  Therefore here in St. Louis we have several layers of safety measures in place to help prevent these kind of incidents with MetroLink doors:

1. First, MetroLink operators have rearview mirrors to check before and while they press the door closed button.  You might have seen this in action if the door has ever opened to let one more rushed customer inside.
2. MetroLink doors have an electromechanical lock on them that prevents the train from moving unless they are closed properly.
3. Once passengers are inside, the leaving station protocol for operators are:    1) Check mirrors for passengers on the platform; 2) Make the announcement, “Please stand clear, the doors are closing”; 3) Close the doors if they are clear of passengers
4. If a door is not functioning properly on MetroLink, there are usually red indicator lights above the defective door that illuminate.
5. The operator can “cut out” a door (take a door out of service) that is not working by flipping a circuit breaker.  The door is then inactive.

In addition, Metro is about to begin testing station barriers that protect strollers, the visually impaired, children, etc. from falling in between cars.  They are installed in the section of the platform between train dockings, and are traversable in case of emergency.  Do they seem like they would be useful in protecting the public?

Luckily, no one was injured in this Chicago incident, but it is important for us riders to remember our safety too.  It’s best not to run on the platform, best to take it easy boarding the train.  Safety precautions work most efficiently when both rider and Agency work together to prevent incidents.

We hope for a quick recovery for little Rachel and her family in Chicago.

In response to a MetroLinks post last week regarding bike vending machines, commenter JimmyZ asked:

Instead of “Bike-share Vending Machines”, how ’bout just some simple bike lockers at suburban metrolink stations, available for daily or monthly rentals?

I thought that was a good question, so I spent some time thinking about it, and here’s my answer: Why not both? (more…)

Because it’s Friday, I’m in the mood to share a little happy here. The other night I had a great evening out at the Delmar Loop. My friend and I met for beverages and dinner at Blueberry Hill, probably the most iconic destination on the Loop. Because it was a gorgeous night and the street was hoppin’, we strolled up and down, peering into shops and galleries, enjoying the crowd and the vibe.

Delmar Loop is one of those spots in St. Louis that really has a feeling of “place” – it has a character, it feels like a cohesive neighborhood. There’s no question that people are drawn to its glow like moths – there’s never a spot to park on the streets and usually the public parking is full, too. That’s a good reason to take MetroLink – the Delmar Loop station drops you off right at one end of the Loop, and you can make a whole evening of strolling up one side of the street and back down the other.

The street is packed with unusual and interesting sights, both in the stores and on the sidewalks – there is an abundance of public art, interestingly-dressed people, books and quirky knick-knacks for sale…even the business signs are nice to view. You can shop for furniture, gifts, or a computer; see a rock n roll legend in concert; eat fondue, Thai, sushi, or burgers; drink fresh-brewed root beer or elaborate coffee creations; drink a martini and try to bowl a few strikes; and spend hours flipping through old records.  What’s not to love about the Loop? And with this amazing summer weather we’re having, and open access to the Loop via MetroLink and Metro Bus, there’s always a fun evening to be had under the stars.

Sandbox

You’re standing on a MetroLink train, scanning the aisles for a seat.  Right behind you, next to the doors, is a waist-high metal box.  Hmmm…”Do Not Sit Here”?  But it’s conveniently seat shaped!  If you are standing there with a bike, the temptation is terrible!  Squash that urge, fellow riders.  The box actually does serve a very important purpose: helping stop the train.

The box holds a quantity of sand that is systematically released to increase friction on the tracks.  From Etta Gibson in MetroLink Training:

The Train Operator can apply sand by pressing the sand button that is located on the Operator’s console; or by applying the Track Brake, or the Emergency Brake. Sand is automatically dropped when the Train Operator applies the Track Brake, the Emergency Brake, or when the wheels spin or slide.

When the Operator presses the sand button on their console, or applies the Emergency Brake, sand is dropped from the sandbox through a nozzle by compressed air onto the rails ahead of the leading wheels, which results in added traction that slows the train, or stop the wheels from spinning or sliding.

Basically, the sandbox serves a very similar role as the trucks that dump salt or sand on icy roads.  Therefore, the sandbox is definitely not a seat.  It’s an integral part of the train’s safety mechanisms.  So next time the temptation rises to sit your work-weary self on the sandbox, let it pass.  The sandbox is hard at work ensuring you a safe ride home.

Saint Louis Urban Workshop had a post on Friday about a proposal to locate a Major League Soccer stadium in Richmond Heights, 1,000 feet from the MetroLink station. The proposed development includes not just the soccer stadium, but also a new hotel and 400,000 square feet of new office space and retail, plus 250 “unique” residential units (whatever that means). There’s a lively discussion in the comments over there, which seems to have focused on two things: The amount of parking shown in the rendering, and whether the developers should instead work with the Rams to renovate the Jones Dome and host MLS downtown instead. Drop by and let them know what you think.

I was perusing some of the St. Louis-focused blogs today and saw several links to St. Louis real estate blogger Dawn Griffin, so I decided to click over and check her out. She’s provided a great service with this post, “Homes Under $200,000 Near MetroLink Stations.” She provides the listing for seven homes walkable to MetroLink, and the highest priced is $199k. While that’s sadly out of my current price range (of zero!), it’s nice to dream – and good to know that people are thinking about proximity to transit when making their purchasing decisions.

In fact, I think that’s probably a growing trend. There’s another site called Walk Score that covers 40 cities and gives a score based on walkability from a selected address. I tested the site by checking out the score for my old house in Portland, Oregon and it had a walkability score of 88 – amazingly high. (Though, since I lived there without a car, I would argue that the score really should be 100!)

The popularity and growth of sites like Walk Score indicates, to me, that more and more people are factoring transit into their big life decisions. So tell me – in your next move, will you factor in access to transit or other transportation-related concerns, when making your decision?