urbanSTL

That's definitely a good problem. If I remember right, the platforms were built longer than any of the trains that were servicing the station at the time of construction.

Is the current length/percent of capacity of trains being skewed by the fact that several of the trains are supplanted by buses many days out of the month?

I do know it's been more and more difficult to get cheap fares (and in some cases even to get a seat) to Chicago in the last 4-6 months. In my case, however, I won't ride a bus to take a train, and thus the earlier post. I was wondering how many have a similar criterion.

The canopy was nixed to keep the new station within budget. One of the platforms is quite long. Maybe he was referring to the shorter one being too short or maybe we'll need more platforms? Id the goal is 4 KCY-STL and 9 STL-CHI per day, seems like more platforms might be needed.

Well, the one thing I find disappointing (budget constraints) is the lack of a canopy. If you arrive in STL during a downpour or in the heat of the summer, good luck. Seems a little thoughtless.

To me, the lack of a train shed is the "je ne sais quoi" that prevents people from seeing this as a legitimate train station.

Amtrak reported ridership of 353,696 for the Gateway Transit Center for FY 2012. That's a 13.8% increase over last year's 310,859. The Gateway Transit Center is the third busiest station outside the coasts (after Chicago and Milwaukee).

I just noticed all of the trees between the station and Savvis Center have been chopped down...anyone know why?

Are you talking about all those beautiful Cypress trees?

I'm not sure of the species...there was a whole grove of them just south of that large sculpture on the corner. Now they're all stumps.

If your talking about those tree's that are or now were on the corner of 14th St and Clark St across from the Sheraton those are indeed Bald Cypress trees they can get to be about 60 ft tall

dmmonty1 wrote:I just noticed all of the trees between the station and Savvis Center have been chopped down...anyone know why?

I believe Metro is expanding the Civic Center bus transfer facility.

From a 2012 Business Journal article:

Civic Center expansion. While located downtown at 14th and Spruce streets, the busy hub also handles a number of routes serving the county. In 2013, Design will begin for more bays to handle buses that now must stop on 14th and 18th streets, more connections for riders (including services offered by the adjacent MetroLink, Greyhound and Amtrak stations) and amenities such as restrooms, sheltered waiting area and concession offerings.

“It will enhance service in both the city and some county routes. It’s a regional hub,” Mefford-Miller said of the $7 million project.

BrickCity4470 wrote:If your talking about those tree's that are or now were on the corner of 14th St and Clark St across from the Sheraton those are indeed Bald Cypress trees they can get to be about 60 ft tall

I wish I could have snapped the picture; but the company that cleared all the trees was called "Happy Tree".

^That's really funny. The Post had just such a photo when the trees were taken down around Debaliviere in preparation for Loop Trolley construction:

I wonder what exactly Metro has planned for that corner. I know there's a small convenience shop in Gateway Station, but I've always thought this would be one of the best possible locations in DT for an outdoor news stand. Between Amtrak, MetroLink, and MetroBus there are probably close to 10,000 people coming through there each day.

Whoa. Awesome. Thanks for the update.

wabash wrote:Amtrak reported ridership of 353,696 for the Gateway Transit Center for FY 2012. That's a 13.8% increase over last year's 310,859. The Gateway Transit Center is the third busiest station outside the coasts (after Chicago and Milwaukee).

Even though the ridership was less during its existence , it's hard to believe Amshak handled so many riders when it was around.I remember seeing people usually sitting, and waiting for the train outside, rather than finding a seat inside . It was so small , it was uncomfortable to wait inside (seats were all in use etc.).

Do these get double counted? Or is this just boardings Like if I get on in STL and off in CHI do I show up in both?

I added how many trains a day you could board

Chicago – 3,522,000 (up 1.1%) A ton
Milwaukee – 617,153 (down 2.4%) 9/day
St. Louis – 378,146 (up 6.9%) 8/day
Bloomington-Normal IL – 239,981 10/day
Springfield IL – 192,216 10/day
Champaign-Urbana IL – 178,353 6/day
Kansas City – 164,859 (up 2.3%) 4/day
Milwaukee-Mitchell Airport – 163,772 14/day
Ann Arbor MI – 144,707 6/day
Carbondale IL – 140,093 4/day
Minneapolis – 116,991 (down 2.9%) 2/day
Kalamazoo MI – 125,212 8/day
Dearborn MI – 81,417 6/day
Sturtevant WI – 75,052 14/day
Detroit – 70,626 (up 6.1%) 6/day
Toledo – 69,275 4/day
Cleveland – 50,940 (up .2%) 4/day
Jefferson City MO – 50,282 4/day
Indianapolis – 36,162 (up 3.7%) 1/day, 3 days/wk have 2
Kirkwood MO – 57,777 4/day
Cincinnati – 15,213 (down 6.1%) 6/wk

Illinois: 5,070,644
Wisconsin: 947,098
Michigan: 874,341
Missouri: 739,256
Minnesota: 181,535
Indian: 150,735
Iowa: 60,369[/quote]