urbanSTL

There are all sorts of dreams on Metro. Carson Minow captured a few of them on this short video:



http://www.mayorslay.com/stlouistraffic/

I can't stop futzing with the fantasy MetroLink system I have laid out in Google Earth. Latest stats: 9 lines, 224 miles, 172 stations. Does not include separate 200+ mile commuter rail system.

mill204 wrote:I can't stop futzing with the fantasy MetroLink system I have laid out in Google Earth. Latest stats: 9 lines, 224 miles, 172 stations. Does not include separate 200+ mile commuter rail system.

Pictures or it didn't happen.

^^I do the same thing in my spare time. I'm sure we're not the only ones. Since Its a little slow today, here's how mine looks...



Green = Streetcar/trolley
Gray = BRT
Red and Blue = current Metrolink Lines
Other colors = metrolink
At 270 would be park'n rides. Anything passed that would be commuter rail.

pat wrote:^^I do the same thing in my spare time. I'm sure we're not the only ones. Since Its a little slow today, here's how mine looks...



Green = Streetcar/trolley
Gray = BRT
Red and Blue = current Metrolink Lines
Other colors = metrolink
At 270 would be park'n rides. Anything passed that would be commuter rail.

How are you deciding your lines? I am working on a GIS transit model and am trying to figure out the various inputs needed. Basically, it will end up producing a transit suitability map.

^ Well I basically chose the stops first based on where myself or other people most likely would want or need to go. Then I drew lines where I could get closest to those locations and build the line with the most ease and least amount of cost.

I didn't do anything scientific if that's what you're asking. And I have no education in transit planning.

The downtown "loop" would be part of the existing red line between Busch and Scottrade and go underground below 14th and Washington

"Yellow" would use Tucker and Gravois. I figured you could get to Tucker from the Loop with a new "on ramp" on the east side of the bridge.

"Orange" would use the existing rail going through the Hill and Dutchtown area.

Orange and yellow would merge near Gravois and Meramec on the existing rail there at Bingham Park.

"Pink" would use north 14th and Florisant.

"Brown" could possibly use available ROW next to Manchester and some existing railway.

Streetcar routes were to get to desirable areas where a full Metrolink line would be too large or just obtrusive.

Last year an EWGateway official told me that under prop A we have enough funds for one major metrolink line, a couple BRTs, and basic system modernization by 2020 before local funding is completely tapped. Apparently if we want to completely build out the system presented by Moving Transit Forward by 2030 we would need about $50 million/year from the state of Missouri, so dont hold your breath on that one.

I was also told by an insider at the CMT May 2011 TOD conference that - paraphrasing - "the next extension will be announced by late 2012/early 2013 and it will be either Westport or N-S line. A few years ago Westport was a slam dunk and seen as the local favorite, but suburban commuter lines are not as competitive as the use to be under the new FTA regulations. N-S line is looking increasingly competitive in the federal process, because it promotes transit equity and urban redevelopment. A Westport line will likely come back around once zoning is addressed. A N-S line would also face far less NIMBY....Westport would be even more of a NIMBY nightmare than Cross-County which would definitely drive up costs. N-S is definitely the frontrunner."

I remember nearly passing out from joy when I found out N-S was the new frontrunner and then I saw this today! A positive and progressive thinking OP-ED from Todd Swanstrom! Awesome!

http://cmt-stl.org/workforce-housing-sh ... nt-of-tod/

Were I transit king, I'd streetcar Grand and have a route through midtown that actually serves SLU/Grand Center well + routes down Gravois & Manchester/Choteau. Plus of course a downtown loop w/ spurs to Old North and Soulard/Lafayette Sq. I'd also take the North-South metro extension.

goat314 wrote:Last year an EWGateway official told me that under prop A we have enough funds for one major metrolink line, a couple BRTs, and basic system modernization by 2020 before local funding is completely tapped. Apparently if we want to completely build out the system presented by Moving Transit Forward by 2030 we would need about $50 million/year from the state of Missouri, so dont hold your breath on that one.

Funny. The Moving Transit Forward plan says MetroLink expansion will not happen without help from the state government.

"Any major expansion of the Metro System will require matching federal St. Louis Regional Long-Range Transit Plan Moving Transit Forward funds, and any extension of MetroLink will also require additional state funding." - (§6.2 on p41)

I was also under the impression in the past. Until I talked to officials from E-W Gateway, CMT, and somebody I personally know from Metro who really doesn't even care about all of this "urbanist stuff". Apparently St. Louis County big wigs were promised the "Daniel Boone" expansion to Westport if they lobbied for the passage of Prop A, which would set roughly half of the revenue aside for system expansion in the form of Metrolink and BRT. Unfortunately for the county (but fortunate for us city lovers lol), federal transit administration policy changed under the Obama/LaHood leadership and federal new starts look at more than just mobility/cost-benefit and things like social justice, equity, economic development potential, density and land use are taken into consideration now. This apparently made the N-S a lot more federally competitive than Daniel Boone and since E-W Gateway is a government organization and not a special interest group it has a responsibility to be a good steward of our tax dollars and award the inner city what it rightfully deserves...the N-S line! Only $3 million environmental assessment needed and N-S will be submitted for federal funding.

As far as I know Metro can afford to build and operate one more Metrolink line and a couple of BRTs by around 2020 on it's own. They will likely go forward optimistically and expect that Missouri will eventually increase their transit subsidy. Apparently around $50 million/yr over the next 20 or so years is need to completely build out the system by around 2030, but even if we got $20-30 million/year from Missouri our system could improve drastically from what I'm hearing. Metro collects hundreds of millions from local taxpayers every year. St. Louis gives a hell of a lot money locally to our transit system and definitely more than our peer cities. If we got the kind of help other cities are getting from the state we would be expanding like Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City and the Twin Cities.

Is there an actual plan for the N-S line?

I make it my duty to go to these CMT and EWGateway events when I can because you can get a lot of useful information that you normally dont wouldn't get in even the Post-Dispatch. It pays to stay behind the scenes and talk to the policy makers after events. They have no problem dishing out what they know. After all nothing should be confidential, because it is our tax dollars, right?

A couple of other things.

A lot of these other cities are passing bonds to build their systems now! Kind of like what we did for the cross county instead they are using federal funds to pay for half of it, while the states and locals carry the rest.

Also it is ironic that Todd Swanstrom is calling for pre-planning the TOD for the N-S line, because guess what the city of St. Louis just got a grant for the federal government to do? That's right! Plan a N-S line TOD Plan and a TOD overlay for the whole city. A lot of the problems with form based code and TOD in the city we talk about on this forum is being worked on as we speak.

I'm surprised this planning process is not getting more conversation. It is really awesome and will like reshape many parts of the region for decades to come.

http://www.ewgateway.org/rpsd/

A modest idea/fantasy: Expand Metrolink 5.5 miles from Shiloh-Scott to Downtown O'Fallon, IL, with a station at Route 158 & I-64 (which is at the halfway point between Shiloh-Scott and O'Fallon).

I think this would garner much more private investment and ridership than the previously proposed (now shelved) 5.4 mile extension to Mid-America Airport.

Fuel cell trains and trams are now starting to make it into demo stage:
http://inhabitat.com/china-develops-fir ... ocomotive/
Trams:
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/sing ... eiled.html

hebeter wrote:Fuel cell trains and trams are now starting to make it into demo stage:
http://inhabitat.com/china-develops-fir ... ocomotive/
Trams:
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/sing ... eiled.html

St Louis has a history of train/tram manufacturing. Are there any residual companies from this industry? I wonder if the region could support a new company that builds trains for metro expansion and trams if the city decides to go that route.

American Railcar is local.

moorlander wrote:American Railcar is local.

Is all there facilities outside the region? Don't believe they do any of their manufacturing in the region.

I believe Herzog is based in St Louis arear also. They specialize in rail maintenance equipment and rail services but like American Railcar, no manufacturing.

^I wont that

How I wish the Loop Trolley was being planned.

Phase 1 (green) 2.0 miles Delmar Metrolink to Delmar & Euclid (via Delmar)
Phase 2 (blue) 1.9 miles Delmar & Euclid to Grand & Olive (via Olive)
Phase 3 (red) 2.75 miles Grand & Olive to Old Post Office Plaza (via Olive)