Light rail system in the Greater St. Louis area
Light rail system in Missouri, US
MetroLink A St. Louis MetroLink train on the Blue Line
Owner Bi-State Development Agency Locale Greater St. Louis , Missouri –Illinois , U.S.Transit type Light rail Number of lines 2 Number of stations 38 (1 under construction) Daily ridership 18,800 (weekdays, Q1 2024)[ 1] Annual ridership 6,717,900 (2023)[ 2] Headquarters One Metropolitan Square 211 North BroadwaySt. Louis , Missouri , 63102, U.S.Website metrostlouis.org/metrolink Began operation July 31, 1993 (1993-07-31 ) [ 3] Operator(s) Metro Transit Reporting marks BSDA Character At-grade, below-grade, elevated, subway Number of vehicles 75 Train length 2 articulated vehicles Headway 10–20 minutes System length 46 mi (74 km)[ 4] No. of tracks 2 Track gauge 4 ft 8+ 1 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm ) standard gauge Electrification Overhead line , 750 V DC[ 5] [ 6] Average speed 24.7 mph (40 km/h) Top speed 65 mph (105 km/h)
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MetroLink (reporting mark BSDA ) is a light rail system that serves the Greater St. Louis area. Operated by Metro Transit in a shared fare system with MetroBus ,[ 7] the two-line, 38-station system runs from St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Shrewsbury in Missouri to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Intermediate destinations include downtown Clayton , Forest Park , and downtown St. Louis . It is the only U.S. light rail system to cross state lines.
In 2023, MetroLink had about 6,717,900 riders.[ 2] As of the third quarter of 2020, its ridership ranked 11th among the country's light rail systems , and second only to Minneapolis Metro Transit in the Midwestern United States .[ 8]
MetroLink shares some characteristics of a light metro or rapid transit service,[ 9] [ 10] including a completely independent right-of-way, a higher top speed, and level boarding at all platforms.[ 10] [ 11]
^ "Transit Ridership Report First Quarter 2024" (PDF) . American Public Transportation Association . May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024 .
^ a b "Transit Ridership Report Fourth Quarter 2023" (PDF) . American Public Transportation Association . March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024 .
^ "History – The 1990s – MetroLink" . Bi-State Development Agency (Metro). 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013 .
^ "Procurement Information" . Bi-State Development Agency (Metro). 2010. Archived from the original on August 18, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2013 .
^ St.Louis Metro Link Project, Final Environmental Impact Statement . U.S. Department of Transportation Urban Mass Transportation Administration, East-West Gateway Coordinating Council. October 9, 1987. pp. 2–26. Retrieved December 10, 2018 .
^ "A Lesson for Jacksonville: The St. Louis Metrolink" . Metro Jacksonville. April 9, 2009. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018 .
^ "Fare Increase 2014" . Metrostlouis.org . Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016 .
^ "APTA Q3 2020 Light Rail Transit Ridership Report" (PDF) . Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020 .
^ Track Design Handbook for Light Rail Transit . Transportation Research Board. 2012. ISBN 978-0-309-25824-1 .
^ a b "Joint International Light Rail Conference" (PDF) . Onlinepubs.trb.org . p. 671. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 25, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2022 .
^ Henry, Lyndon (2006). Sharing of Rail Transit Infrastructure by Streetcars and Larger Light Rail Vehicles: Design and Operational Issues . ISBN 978-1-931594-23-3 . Archived from the original on January 24, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020 .