The Red Line is the older and longer line of the MetroLink light rail system in Greater St. Louis. It serves 29 stations across three counties and two states.
The Red Line is the older and longer line of the MetroLink light rail system in Greater St. Louis. It serves 29 stations across three counties and two states.
Transit planning along the Airport/Central corridor began as early as 1971, when it was selected as the region's primary target for further study. In 1983, funding was approved to evaluate five mode alternatives, which culminated in a 1984 draft environmental impact statement. After a series of public hearings, the East–West Gateway Council of Governments adopted light rail as the region's preferred mode alternative. [1] : 203
The project's capital expense budget was $287.7 million (equivalent to $640 million in 2023 dollars), which covered design, engineering, construction, and testing. [1] : 201 The city of St. Louis acquired unused railroad facilities and property with an estimated value of $100 million and donated it to the project, supplying the local match. [1] : 201
Construction on the initial 13.9-mile (22.4 km) alignment began in 1990. It opened on July 31, 1993 with 16 stations between North Hanley and 5th & Missouri. [2] The remainder of this initial 17-mile (27 km) alignment was completed on June 25, 1994, when the extension to Lambert Airport Main opened. [3] Three infill stations have been added to this original alignment: East Riverfront in 1994, Lambert Airport East in 1998, and Cortex in 2018. [4] [5]
In 1998, construction began on the 17.4-mile (28.0 km), eight station St. Clair County, Illinois extension between 5th & Missouri and College, opening in May 2001. The total project cost was $339.2 million with $243.9 million paid by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and $95.2 million paid by the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD). [6] An additional $75 million, 3.5-mile (5.6 km) extension from College to the Shiloh-Scott station opened in 2003. It was funded by a $60 million grant from the Illinois FIRST (Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools, and Transit) Program and $15 million from SCCTD. [7]
From its 1993 opening until October 27, 2008, the Red Line was known as the Lambert Airport branch. [8]
On July 26, 2022, portions of the Red Line were impacted by a flash flood that shut down the system for nearly 72 hours and caused roughly $40 million in damage. [9] [10] Damages included nearly 5 miles (8.0 km) of track bed, two elevators, two communications rooms and three signal houses. [11] By that September, normal Red Line service had resumed while restricted service continued on the Blue Line. [12]
On July 31, 2023, Metro received $27.7 million in federal emergency disaster relief funding to help cover the cost of flood damage. [13]
The 38-mile (61 km) Red Line alignment begins at Lambert St. Louis International Airport, making stops at the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 stations. It then proceeds through Kinloch before making a stop at the North Hanley station near Bel-Ridge. It makes 2 stops (UMSL North & UMSL South) at the University of Missouri St. Louis located in Normandy. After departing UMSL, trains divert south onto the former Wabash/Norfolk & Western Railroad's Union Depot line that once brought passenger trains from Ferguson to Union Station. It then travels into Pagedale stopping at the Rock Road station and then at Wellston's namesake station on Plymouth Street. From here, the Red Line crosses the St. Louis City/County boundary line at Skinker Boulevard, making a stop at the Delmar Loop station which serves the popular Delmar Loop area and is located just below the original Wabash Railroad's Delmar Station building. At the following station, Forest Park-DeBaliviere, the Red Line meets the Blue Line. From this station the two services share a track alignment with each other until the Blue Line terminates at the Fairview Heights station in Illinois.
From the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station, the Red and Blue lines share the same set of tracks for the next 16 stations. [14] Continuing east, the Central West End and Cortex stations serve the popular Central West End neighborhood, Washington University Medical Center and Cortex Innovation Community. The Grand station transfers with the busy #70 MetroBus line and serves Saint Louis University and its hospital. Next, the Union Station, Civic Center, Stadium, 8th & Pine, Convention Center, and Laclede's Landing stations serve downtown St. Louis and its many popular attractions. Crossing the historic Eads Bridge into Illinois, the line serves the East Riverfront, 5th & Missouri, Emerson Park, Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, and Washington Park stations in East St. Louis, Illinois. At the next station, Fairview Heights, the Blue Line terminates and the Red Line continues south to Belleville, Illinois to its terminus at the Shiloh-Scott station located at Scott Air Force Base.
From Lambert Airport to Shiloh-Scott (west to east)
| Station | Transfer | City/town served | County | Opening date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lambert Airport Terminal 1 | Edmundson | St. Louis County | June 25, 1994 [15] | |
| Lambert Airport Terminal 2 | Woodson Terrace | December 23, 1998 [16] | ||
| North Hanley | Carsonville | July 31, 1993 [17] | ||
| UMSL–North | Normandy | |||
| UMSL–South | ||||
| Rock Road | Pagedale | |||
| Wellston | Wellston | |||
| Delmar Loop | Independent city of St. Louis | |||
| Forest Park–DeBaliviere | Blue | |||
| Central West End | ||||
| Cortex | July 31, 2018 [18] | |||
| Grand | July 31, 1993 [17] | |||
| Union Station | ||||
| Civic Center | ||||
| Stadium | ||||
| 8th & Pine | ||||
| Convention Center | ||||
| Laclede's Landing | ||||
| East Riverfront | East St. Louis | St. Clair County | May 14, 1994 [19] | |
| 5th & Missouri | July 31, 1993 [17] | |||
| Emerson Park | May 5, 2001 [20] | |||
| Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center | ||||
| Washington Park | ||||
| Fairview Heights | Fairview Heights | |||
| Memorial Hospital | Belleville | |||
| Swansea | Swansea | |||
| Belleville | Belleville | |||
| College | ||||
| Shiloh–Scott | Shiloh | June 23, 2003 [21] | ||
In the initial design phase of MetroLink, Metro's Arts in Transit program commissioned a group of artists to design unique bridge piers for MetroLink viaducts. Collaborating with architects and engineers, the artists designed the arched supports that reflect an inverted version of the arch motif used throughout the MetroLink system. The bridge pier style is a signature of MetroLink design and appears in the subsequent St. Clair and Cross County extensions. [22]
In 2008, the Arts in Transit program commissioned a work for the alignment along Interstate 70 near Lambert Airport. Titled St. Louis Rhythm and created by Richard Elliot, it was made using roadway reflectors on 16 concrete Jersey barriers that are activated by the headlights of passing cars. [23]
In 2011, another Arts in Transit commission was installed on the shared alignment near Interstate 64 on the bridge over Vandeventer Avenue. Titled Blue Train and created by Clark Wiegman, a cubist locomotive represents the opening eight bars of the melody of “St. Louis Blues.” During the day, this piece appears as a locomotive spewing a trail of notes or an unfurling piano roll. At night, it becomes a geometric abstraction about linear dynamism and the implied form of the bridge punching through the surrounding ambient light. [24]
In 2019, the St. Clair County Transit District was awarded $96 million in Illinois infrastructure funding to build a 5.2-mile (8.4 km) extension of the Red Line from Shiloh-Scott to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah. [25] This extension will include two 2.6-mile (4.2 km) segments, a double-track and a single-track segment, along with a station at the airport. [26] Construction on the extension began in 2023 with Metro expecting to begin operations in early 2026. [27] [28] [29]
In 2023, Metro began a system-wide rehabilitation program that will last up to two years. [30] Work on the Red Line will include the rehabilitation of the Union Station and downtown subway tunnels, including the Laclede's Landing, Convention Center and 8th & Pine subway stations. [31] Elsewhere, curve tracks, catenary wire, system conduit, staircases and retaining walls are to be upgraded or replaced. [32] Three stations are to receive platform rehabilitations: Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center, Rock Road and Wellston. [32]
In 2024, Metro expects to complete upgrades to the Supervisory Control Automated Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Public Address/Customer Information (PA/CIS) systems. The upgraded SCADA/PA/CIS will operate as an integrated system that monitors and controls operations and will allow Metro to provide real-time arrival information to passengers, such as live displays at stations. [33]
Previously proposed extensions of the Red Line are defunct; regional leaders have said their priorities are proposed expansions in the city of St. Louis and North St. Louis County. [34]
A plan to expand MetroLink 16–20 miles (26–32 km) from St. Louis Lambert International Airport northwest to St. Charles County was abandoned after St. Charles County voters twice rejected a sales tax for the extension in 1996; subsequently, all MetroBus service was ended. [35] Had the extension been funded, the route would have used the Old St. Charles Bridge (now demolished) over the Missouri River to access the county.
St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary commercial airport serving metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Missouri. The airport covers 3,793 acres (1,535 ha) of land. STL is located 14 miles (23 km) northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. The airport provides nonstop service to airports throughout the United States and to the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, and Europe. In 2019, it served nearly 16 million passengers. In 2023 there were more than 270 daily departures to 80 nonstop domestic and international locations.
MetroLink is a light rail system that serves the Greater St. Louis area. Operated by Metro Transit in a shared fare system with MetroBus, the two-line, 38-station system runs from St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Shrewsbury in Missouri to Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. Intermediate destinations include downtown Clayton, Forest Park, and downtown St. Louis. It is the only U.S. light rail system to cross state lines.
The Metro East is an urban area in Southern Illinois, United States that contains the eastern and northern suburbs and exurbs of St. Louis, Missouri. It encompasses five counties in the Greater St. Louis area and constitutes the second-most populous urban area in Illinois. The region's most populated city is Belleville, with 42,404 residents.
Metro Transit is an enterprise of the Bi-State Development Agency and operates public transportation services in the St. Louis region. In 2023, the system had an annual ridership of 19,528,200, or about 59,800 per weekday as of the fourth quarter of 2023.
Delmar Loop station is a light rail station on the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This below-grade station is adjacent to Delmar Boulevard and Des Peres and Hodiamont avenues and serves the popular Delmar Loop area.
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is a public use airport next to Scott Air Force Base. It is located 18 nautical miles [nmi] east of downtown St. Louis and 14 nmi east of the central business district of Belleville in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1997, MidAmerica is the secondary domestic passenger airport for the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area, after the larger St. Louis Lambert International Airport. It is a joint-use airport and is currently served by one scheduled commercial airline, Allegiant Air.
Transportation in Greater St. Louis, Missouri includes road, rail, ship, and air transportation modes connecting the bi-state St. Louis metropolitan area with surrounding communities throughout the Midwest, national transportation networks, and international locations. The Greater St. Louis region also supports a multi-modal transportation network that includes bus, paratransit, and light rail service in addition to shared-use paths, bike lanes and greenways.
College station is a light rail station on the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station serves Southwestern Illinois College on the eastern edge of Belleville, Illinois. It is also features MetroBus service and 623 park and ride spaces.
Swansea station is a light rail station on the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station is located in Swansea, Illinois between Illinois State Routes 159 and 161. It is primarily a commuter station with 751 park and ride spaces and MetroBus service.
Emerson Park station is a light rail station on the Red and Blue lines of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station is located near 15th Street and Bowman Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. It also serves as a transfer for MetroBus and Madison County Transit and features 841 park and ride spaces.
Fairview Heights station is a light rail station on the Red and Blue lines of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station is located on the western edge of Fairview Heights, Illinois near the intersection of St. Clair Avenue and Illinois Route 161. It is the eastern terminus of the Blue Line and has a pocket track allowing Blue Line trains to reverse directions and layover between runs.
Memorial Hospital station is a light rail station on the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This below-grade station is located beneath an overpass on Frank Scott Parkway in Belleville, Illinois and has 431 park and ride spaces across three parking lots.
Belleville station is a light rail station on the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station bisects Scheel Street in the northern section of Belleville, Illinois approximately one-mile (1.6 km) from the center of town. It features a MetroBus transfer and 321 park and ride spaces.
Shiloh–Scott station is a light rail station and current terminus of the Red Line of the St. Louis MetroLink system. This at-grade station is located in Shiloh, Illinois, adjacent to Scott Air Force Base, after which the station is named.
Madison County Transit, or MCT for short, is a bus and bike trail transportation system that serves the citizens of Madison County, which is located in Illinois approximately 20 miles (32 km) northeast of St. Louis. It was created in 1980 by the Madison County Board to improve transportation in Madison County, and is a completely separate transit system from the St. Louis Metro Transit system which includes MetroLink, which doesn't operate into Madison County, though the buses connect with many MetroBus routes and even serve MetroLink stations in East St. Louis, Belleville and Downtown St. Louis.
The Blue Line is the newer and shorter line of the MetroLink light rail service in Greater St. Louis. It serves 25 stations across three counties and two states.
The Bi-State Development Agency was established as an interstate compact between Missouri and Illinois in 1949. This compact created an organization that has broad powers in seven county-level jurisdictions. Bi-State operates five enterprises including the Gateway Arch Riverfront, Metro Transit, the St. Louis Downtown Airport, the St. Louis Regional Freightway and the Bi-State Development Research Institute.
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport station is an under construction St. Louis MetroLink station in Mascoutah, Illinois, adjacent to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, after which the station is named. When opened, this station will be the eastern terminus of the MetroLink system. It is scheduled to open in spring 2025 as part of a 5.2-mile (8.4 km) expansion of the Red Line from Shiloh–Scott station.
| Lines |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | ||
| Rolling Stock | ||
| Rail Yards and Shops | ||
| Major Transit Centers | ||
| Connecting services | ||
| Other Connections | ||
| Expansions | ||
| Operators | ||
Italics denote lines or service which are planned or not operating Bold denotes primary transfers or terminals | ||