I walked over to the new Cross County metrolink terminus today. There has been a spurt of activity over the last month or so, and here's the current progress. Some of the pictures got a little grainy in the shrinking and compression process. If for some reason anybody needs better-quality shots, let me know.



The Lansdowne bridge, closed now for about a year, has been finished. They've finally started to pave the approaches and get in the streetlights and other finishes. A few more inches of asphalt is still needed.







This appears to be a drop off point for cars. It is at the east side of the station, entrance right off River des Peres Blvd. where it meets Lansdowne.







There are also a number of drop off points for buses. It will be interesting to see which routes will either connect or terminate here. Currently only two routes, the 92 Lindenwood and the 11X Shrewsbury Express, go near this station. The 80 Shaw-Southampton goes down Jamieson a few blocks east. I understand there will likely be a Webster-Kirkwood circulator bus terminating here.







Grass by the platform, so much concrete poured...it seems like it will take less than a year to finish! But there are many other stations and track to complete...so about a year from today is when we can expect this station to be humming with activity.







The expansive driveway going underneath the end of the platform.







I just thought this was a neat shot. It's looking up at the platform from underneath.







The big 'ballast compactor' machine right by the entrance to the platform.







Looking north toward the overpass above I-44. The signaling equipment has been there for several weeks now, if not longer.







That's a pretty steep grade climbing up to 44 toward Maplewood.







This is along the east (River des Peres) side. This will likely be more parking.







Along the western edge of the parknig lot run the Burlington Northern tracks, a very busy corridor. You can see the train running in the background. A road from Shrewsbury passes across the tracks, with no signals, into the Metrolink parking lot. I wonder if they will block the road, or signalize the intersection. I bet they will block it in an attempt to corral rush-hour traffic coming southbound onto Lansdowne rather than side streets.







This is near the northern end of the lot looking east toward River des Peres. I have no idea what these forms are for.







Looking east toward the station from a distance.







Up on the platform. They had some big stuff blocking the entrance at the top, but I squeezed on anyway.







I wonder if these LED signs will contain train arrival/departure information or just "this track now boarding" type information.







I'm pretty sure this is past the edge of the regular platform, but there are still the bump-outs where doors might be if the train were to continue past the end.







The lot is much bigger than it looks here.







Sigh...I can't wait for Cross County to open! Hopefully they will have funds to operate trains when it does

THANKS!

Getting there, slowly but surely.

Is that an industrial area because I see trains, plenty of wires, circular metal tower like structures, and a lack of buildings like homes or businesses. I guess TOD is out of the question for this station?

It's kind of an odd visual perspective, actually. There is a large substation slightly south of the area, which explains the powerlines. The run parallel to the train tracks and I-44. The tower-like structures are on the other side of I-44. They are natural gas storage tanks, and are inaccessible from the station area.



There are some small businesses along the railroad tracks. Mainly they are electrical, plumbing, and remodeling type businesses. Just beyond those are fairly large swaths of single-family residential areas.



The most likely area for TOD would be along Lansdowne. In the first picture, the orange safety fence is running across the River des Peres, with St. Louis City residences just beyond. There is an OReilly auto parts store just visible on the other side, with more approaching McCausland.



To my back in the same picture, going underneath the railroad trestle, are a small gas station to the left, a small office building to the right, and a American Legion hall sort of ahead and to the left.



The hall is pretty active with comic book shows and fish fries and bingo and so forth, but if land value rises it is a fairly sizable chunk of land. I would love to see a couple small stores and/or a restaurant go in there if they ever decide to relocate.



Just past gas station is a produce stand (now defunct I believe), a landscaping business, and Warning-Lites Inc. That is also a sizable piece of land and would be very well-suited should the area become more desirable.



Behind that are very large areas of small but neat single-family homes, with some apartment buildings as well.



It would have been nice to plan for some development in what is now the parking lot area, or just south of the station across Lansdowne, but as it is, it is almost fully-developed with viable businesses -- just not many 'destination' type places.

Multi-family is just south of the station, visible on the aerial as those buildings to the west of River Des Peres and south of Murdoch.



Given the BNSF railroad to this station's west, I think more TOD will occur with this station within the City, not Shrewbury. The station site actually sits in both cities, with the platform, kiss'n'ride, and bus loop within the City, while the parking is largely in Shrewsbury.



Most pedestrians, if not coming from the apartments to the south, may actually walk from Lindenwood Park neighborhood blocks via the replaced Lansdowne bridge. Of couse, having 800 parking spaces and multiple bus connections (Chippewa, Shaw-Southampton, Lindenwood, Kirkwood-Webster, South County, I-44 Shuttle) means most will arrive via private automobile or bus. There is however a bike trail connection along River Des Peres, but MetroLink only permits four bikes per doubled train, but none when peak travel doesn't permit any room.



The largest TOD site I think is blocks to the north and west of Lansdowne and Wabash. Of course, these dead-end 7100 block streets have a mix of single-family homes today, but I can imagine the land value attracting a developer for mid-rise condos. Besides site assembly issues, though, you're talking about NIMBY interests with the typical South St. Louisans against density. But Shrewsbury is just as bad, if not worse, for wanting to limit residential densities.

I wonder if these LED signs will contain train arrival/departure information or just "this track now boarding" type information.

Actually... these LED signs are used on all Metro East Stations. They will display date/time and then 10-20 seconds prior to train arrivals they flash "NEXT TRAIN EASTBOUND ARRIVING - SERIVING DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS AND LAMBERT ST. LOUIS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT". Not only do they display it - they also say it - an automated message is sounded over the stations p.a. system. I don't know why Metro has not installed these - probably cost related reasons - on all stations on the original line.



I like them. Take a trip on the Metro east.

Thanks bprop for the pics!

All Cross-County stations will have the signs as well. In addition to Shrewsbury (where you you have to trespass onto and climb a construction site) the new signs are already visible (from Sunnen Drive) at the Sunnen platforms.

southslider wrote: But Shrewsbury is just as bad, if not worse, for wanting to limit residential densities.

Southslider, to my knowledge -- which may be lacking -- almost all new development in Shrewsbury in the last 20 years has been multi family condos and apartments. The exception is single-lot infill which is of course single family. The Villas at Kenrick is a newer single-family suburban development, but there are multiple condo and apartment complexes all around it -- including the large Georgetown complex which has been there many decades.



Other than that, the only I don't really know of much resistance. It would likely show, however, if someone tried to impose eminent domain on the quality residential there now.

Shrewsbury is really two cities. You have the older tract infill between the City and Webster on the northern half of the City, and you have the newer planned unit developments along Watson Road on the southern half of the City. Much of the density added to Shrewsbury in recent years was in the auto-oriented planned unit developments about Kenrick. The older northern half about the seminary and City Hall remain largely single-family. Though more walkable, these older blocks are less dense in number of housing units. And it's the older areas strongly supporting the maintenance of a single-family character, which are closest to the station.



Except for some multi-family straddling the City limits just west of River Des Peres, both the City and Shrewsbury have largely single-family housing stock largely on the blocks closest to the future Lansdowne station. Since the City's side, at least along and north of Lansdowne is more so frame construction, I imagine it would likely be targeted for site assembly for condos before Shrewsbury. No matter what, both cities are going to see greater demand for major renovation and teardowns of smaller frame and small brick homes to build larger homes where many two-bedroom homes now stand.

It's funny you mention that -- taking a walk around today, I realized that several more homes within about 1/2 mile of the station are undergoing major renovation or expansion. One house is getting torn down completely. I noted in an earlier post just how frequently it's been happening, but I wonder if it's at least in part due to MetroLink.



I haven't been particularly thrilled with some of the replacements, but they are generally of higher quality, and so far none have swallowed up more than a single lot.

thanks for sharing those pictures, looks like this station is coming along nicely. I can't wait for it to open.