St. Louis, 2040?
Source: Moving Transit Forward
This system can now be a reality in St. Louis's near future due to St. Louis County's overwhelming support for Proposition A last night.
The above map includes a handful of new light rail lines (including a Westport extension from Clayton, and a city-centric line known as the Northside-Southside Line); two commuter rail lines; and several Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, including one down Grand Boulevard. Have no clue what BRT is or does? Check out this video from Curitiba, Brazil, the city credited with crafting this transportation idea.
I have seen t-shirts, posters, and other swag honoring the colorful, extensive D.C. rail transportation system. I'm excited by the possibility of St. Louis having a transit map worthy of swag as well!
13 comments:
Wow. That video on Bus Rapid Transit is great! I can't wait to see what the plans are for Grand!
There's more than 2 LRT lines on that map.
Well, there's an extension of the Shrewsbury line southward; an extension of the Red Line northward; the two I mentioned; AND a new line in Madison County, Illinois. So, you're right, I've undercut the actual LRT options. But I know Westport and Northside-Southside have been studied and are the most likely of all of them.
Thanks, Herbie. I changed the post to reflect your observation.
Matt, the only two alignments that have had full EIS studies performed are Northside-Southside and MetroSouth. The Daniel Boone alignment has yet to be so intensively studied. An EIS will need to be done for Westport in order to acquire federal funding.
In other words, it likely will be a minimum of 3 years before ground is broken for the next MetroLink extension.
You're right again!
I thought Westport had been studied because it's so often referenced as the next likely extension. Given that it is behind Northside-Southside and Metro South, I'd expect those two to come first.
Who knows though?
That's because Dooley has said just that, that the Daniel Boone alignment is St. Louis County's first priority. Or at least that was the idea back in 2008.
I fully expect Westport to win out in the end. It's politics, afterall. I also have no expectations for Northside-Southside given its high cost and anemic ridership projections even when considering social justice issues.
Hmm, sounds like a blog post...
Yes, get on it Herbie! :D (Love your blog, by the way).
I too am expecting the Westport line to win out. I know the Northside-Southside line does not connect to any other major employment centers other than downtown, but it just seems to me that rail transit is popular in St. Louis. The projected ridership just seems a bit low. After all, didn't they WAY underestimate initial ridership on both the Red and Blue lines? Now THAT's a blog post.
I think more people would move to Old North, Benton Park, etc. having a train dedicated nearby.
I agree, Herbie's blog is in my top five.
How does the funding work if metrolink goes to Madison County? Will MST then join metro or would they just pay a fee?
Great, I'll be about 55 by then.
Doug--
Without Prop A, you might have had a plot at Calvary Cemetery before bus service even got back up to 2005 levels!
Sure 2040's a long way away, but as I said on another post, certain changes will likely come faster than others. The potential for BRT on St. Louis's overly wide roads is huge. Full buildout on Grand could come in less than three years if we fast track this...by then you'll be, what, 29? Yet that would be a huge benefit. The Northside-Southside line could start construction in as much time, too.
The point is we can now discuss transit expansion in real terms rather than fantasy ones. I think that that's cause to celebrate!
Matt, I hope you're correct and federal funding comes through for the North-South line.
Why not pull a Houston and do both Daniel Boone and Metro North simultaneously as New Starts projects? Since each of those lines are a branch extension of the red and blue lines, they greatly boost ridership on the existing system
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