I'm sure it's probably mentioned in other threads so I'll apologize upfornt but I have a few questions about Metrolink expansion. Is there a timeline for the next metrolink expansion? Is there an upcoming vote for metrolink expansion funding? I know there have been reports and impact studies of the next line so has one been selected for future expansion?



I wish I had time to read all of the threads concerning Metro expansion but many of them are very long and I really don't have time to read all of the comments. Thanks for any answers to the above questions.

I was just going to ask the same thing!



What is the latest talk of expansion? Is the South County line still a consideration or is that over with?

There are several possible extensions floating around. The City wants to see the North-South Line. The Metro South line has two possible alignments but a preferred alignment was not selected. The County Executive has spoken in favor the of an extension from Clayton to Westport and about branching the Lambert line up Hanley Road to I-270.



The county may place a ballot initiative on the November ballot for a 1/2 cent sales tax. Its assumed, based upon the County Executive's comments, that the Westport line will be pursued.



I would not assume that Metro South is dead, but there needs to be some interest on the part of South County and perhaps City elected officials to push this alignment.



Best timeline for a new Metrolink (assuming the very most positive timing if the 1/2 cent sales tax passes) would be eight years. It could very easily slide longer.

Some commuters still waiting for the train.

When and if the MetroLink system is next expanded, it will likely be in St. Louis County, where County Executive Charlie Dooley has asked the County Council to place a half-cent sales tax proposal before voters in November.



Blair said the next expansion of MetroLink in St. Louis County would likely be an extension from Clayton to Westport Plaza.

Voters in St. Charles and Madison counties missed the boat — or was it the train — when they turned down sales taxes that would have brought MetroLink to those fast-developing areas.

St. Charles County, where voters twice in 1996 rejected sales-tax proposals to extend the light-rail system to the county.

Voters in Madison County rejected a proposed half-cent sales tax for MetroLink in 1997.

The article in the Post this morning about Madison and St. Charles County missing the boat should have included St. Louis County which turned down a tax in 1997. Had it passed, the region might have had another line about ready to open in the City or County.

"Looking back, right now, we really missed the boat," he said.



...claims that criminals would use the trains to get to St. Charles County worked against the tax's passage, he said.



Anyone up for creating a weird, you-tube techno remix?

^is that becuase 99% of people on here are dudes?



Any expansion that adds a new and growing tax base is nice... not to mention that Arnold could be a good location for it with some concentrated TOD.

tbspqr wrote:^is that becuase 99% of people on here are dudes?

I think so. It's always nice to have someone of the opposite sex around here.

yeah we arr are pretty heavily male - why is that?

Not to derail the thread, but I have noticed all urbanism/development related forums are very heavily male. Maybe men are more interested in discussing this stuff on a forum? Forums in general seem to be more male than female.

JMedwick wrote:I find those Post articles interesting because I see a lot in common with the failed tax increases of the late 1990's and the upcoming vote. Look no further than the comments which link some of the failure of past tax increases to a lack of concrete information on what route will be built and how much it will cost. Metro better get solid facts together on routes and corridors for additional service and how much these upgrades will cost.

Thats why I dont feel too good about it passing, Metro has never been very good in the marketing department. It can be sold to people in the county if they came with the right approach. Hopefully high gas prices will force the people to make a right decision. I heard we can expect two lines if the thing passes. Is this true? I know Westport is next, what be the other line?

bikin'_man wrote:



Here is a plan. a plan that people voted yes on. now metro does not have to be as extensive as this, but really how hard is this? we've seen this with the north south line. come one guys make a decision. map it out for people.

Hard to compare Denver's civic pride to St. Louis, but personally I think St. Louis has more potential to have an even better transit system than Denver. A transit system here would stabilize so many historical districts and give so many more people incentives to live in the urban core.....but here is a reason why Metro will continue to turn off the public. PRIVATE MEETINGS and SUMMITS. Why would the people vote for something they know nothing about?



check it out guys !



Rest stops display posters of missing

07/30/2008

St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and other regional leaders are scheduled to take part in a transit summit Thursday at Washington University.



The two-hour panel discussion will look at how the MetroLink light-rail system has evolved, its milestones, and how transit operations and expansion will likely be funded in the future.



Patrick Murphy of KETC's Living St. Louis show will moderate.



Attendance at the summit is by invitation only. Metro has invited local elected officials, advocacy groups and business leaders. It will be held in Whitaker Hall at Washington University's Danforth Campus.



Metro will stream video of the summit beginning next week on its website, metrostlouis.org.



http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

bikin'_man wrote:i'm not trying to compare systems, but they had a vision, laid it out for people to see. and people voted for it. they knew what they were getting. i could have taken a plan from any city, i chose fastracks because i'm familiar with it.



so busdad, we know doley has a route in mind, you guys have a route in mind, throw in the north south line, and we have a regional plan. that MUST be a priority before people will vote yes. there is time. i think you guys can do it.

I was agreeing with you.

goat314 wrote:Also when you get the public involved. The get excited! Making it more likely that they will agree to funding it. When people view the Metro situation as more politics, they get pissed.

It's a Catch-22, though. Have you been to a Metro open house? There are some really loud obnoxious, and usually (not always) curmudgeonly folks there who are very vocal, very loud, and very adamant about how Metro going through point X will mark the end of the world for people. If they're not involved, they "had no public input", but if they are, they really poison the atmosphere, IMO. Most of their demands and complaints are either overblown or irrational altogether.

I've been telling many people to vote no on this sales tax increase for a while now. I know Dooley pretty well and discussed my views to him on Metro and he acknowledged Metro still needs a lot improvement. Metro has been wasteful with spending in the past and I am sure giving them more of the people's money will allow them to continue this bad habit. Metro has no clear plan on how to expand Metrolink or bus service nor do they have any conceptual pictures to show anyone, why would anyone vote for something they don't see.

I'm all in favor of spending public monies on Metro and MetroLink expansion, but how much can we raise sales taxes? For sit-down restaurants in the city of St. Louis the sales tax is almost 10% now (9.7241% to be exact). Metro is already a mess with its ability to budget itself and people are feeling a crunch in their wallets and bank accounts right now, I don't see how another sales tax will pass without very good reasoning and planning and I just don't see that happening. Instead of voting on Metro, lets vote on having some accountability on where our money goes instead, then maybe we would have enough to do all of this. Its a shame that all the waste in DC has caused us to lose the ability to have Federal dollars too.

Metro's financial problems are in many ways outside its control. For instance the decision to build two tunnels along Forest Park Parkway was a political decision, not a Metro decision. Tunneling is full of unknowns. Think Big Dig. The tunneling directly led to the conflicts with utilities which resulted in the project dragging out and essentially was the root of the troubles that followed.



Metro cannot control TIFs which has resulted in the loss about about $8 million annually in tax dollars.



The change in accounting standards is outside Metro's control. Like the SLPD, there is a $20 million shortfall in their pension fund.



Metro cannot control the county council which voted to move $10 million from their fy '09 appropriation to fund some road projects.



An expanded MetroLink system is key to stemming the tide of population loss in the inner parts of the region and rebuilding the tax base. Anyone worried about increase tax could easily get more in return by taking MetroLink once to the airport and avoiding parking fees or by buying 10 gallons a gas less in a year.



This has to pass.