The start of the Shrewsbury branch of Metrolink will definitely not start in July. The announcement of the startup will be announced in mid June when the various members of the rail activation team can agree that everything will be ready. There is a lot of focus on a particular date, but no announcement will be made until June.
You will see a lot of testing in July and lots in early August.
The official word for startup is still September or October, but a date like August 21st isn't impossible..with the official grand opening (operating only as a shuttle between Shrewsbury and Forest Park) beginning on Saturday August 19th. (Bus system reconfiguration will take place on a Monday.)
This date however might not be possible. Fare equipment delivery, testing and installation and activation may be tough to complete by that date. Dates like September 4th, September 11th, September 18th and September 25th have also been discussed.
The jet fans for smoke supression within the tunnels are being air freighted to St. Louis from Europe. That delivery will be tight to accomplish and install by that date.
Final hiring and training of bus operators to replace operators switched to Metrolink and to address normal attrition will be very tough to accomplish by that date.
On the other hand, August 21st is the start up of St. Louis Public Schools and August 28th Wash U begins regular classes and the new 1 WUSTL Gold and 2 WUSTL Red must be in operation by that date. If the full service Metro Redefined service plan is not in place by that date, Metro will incur $35,000 per week extra costs. The transit center at Riverview and Hall is scheduled for completion on August 15th although the building may not be completed until early September. (Bus operator restrooms and bus bays should be ready by August 15th although dirt work just started last week.)
Timetables are being ordered beginning this week without an actual date other than "fall 2006". The rail schedule has been designed and will be sent to the printer in a week..without an effective date. The new bus book showing all Missouri bus schedules and a modified rail schedule is within two weeks of layout completiion, but a printer has not been selected yet.
Maplewood's plan to construct a bus loop at the Maplewood Station probably willl not be completed. The tax credits to pay for the loop have not been sold. Lack of a terminal loop is a major problems for four Metrobus routes. There is a contingency plan however if the loop is done.
The parking garage at Brentwood will not be completed, but the bus loop at Brentwood is very important to be completed by startup. Metro is considering using water filled jersey barriers to create a bus layover zone on Dale Avenue if the loop is not completed.
Wash U will complete a new special bus loop with four saw tooth bays near Mallinkrodt Hall off Forsyth. They should be done by mid August.
Negotiations with St.Louis County to offer parking at the County Parking garage at the Clayton Garage (Clayton Central Station) are continuing. Some discussions with Deer Creek for contingency parking near Sunnen Station underway. These may require a higher priced monthly pass. The monthly pass will to up to $60 this fall, but a higher priced pass is being discussed for the structured parking in Clayton.
Planning has major concerns about the lack of park ride along the new alignment until the new Brentwood garage is completed and afterword when the I64 reconstruction starts up.
The fall fare increase is scheduled to coincide with the start up of the new line. The budget is dependent upon early implementation of the fare increase.
There is a strong staff desire to beat the public pronouncements of September-October but construction completion concerns prevent a senior management commitment to announce a startup date.
Finally, August 21st has no baseball game at home and Metro does not want to start up on a baseball weekend.
Finally, the line will not be called the green line. Timetable will show trips operating between Shiloh and Lambert in Red. Trips operating Shrewsbury to Emerson will be blue. However it will just be called Metrolink. Marketing will implement a "Heads Up" campaign to get people to read the headsigns. Even if the routes were named after colors the mylar curtains do not show "Red" line or "Green" line.
In two years, Metro will reevaluate the strength of the connection between stations east of Emerson to Lambert versus Clayton. SCCTD prefers the Shiloh to Clayton Connection. Metro Planning argued successfully to maintain the current Airport connection from Metro East (Shiloh) for the time being. Recent surveys of riders shows very strong ridership between Stations east of Emerson and Lambert branch Forest Park. SCCTD strongly believes the stronger market is to Clayton from East of Emerson.
SCCTD plans to construct a turnback facility at Fairview Heights to permit 5 minute service to be extended as far east as Fairview Heights,but this will not be done for a year or so.
Once a final decision is made (two years from now), lines may be named by a color.
Final rail schedule is on the metro website under the Metro redefined link. Rail PDF is listed one line below the 97 Delmar on the bus route list with pdf's, maps and turning instructions for all bus routes.
