A Look at LRT: The St. Louis Metrolink

[Metro Jacksonville]

A Look at LRT: The St. Louis Metrolink



As JTA looks into investing our tax dollars into bus rapid transit at the expense of rail, Metro Jacksonville highlights one of America's most successful modern LRT projects: The St. Louis Metrolink.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-sep-a-look-at-lrt-the-st-louis-metrolink

[CS Foltz]

One more glaring example of COJ and JTA and FDOT and their preoccupation with concrete! What a bunch of bovines ( sorry to those that love cow's). I just have a hard time understanding why they keep stepping in it!

[archiphreak]

It's obviously clear, no matter how many studies you do, no matter how much proof you shove in their face, just like Congress, COJ and JTA think they know what is best for our city better than us citizens do...It's sad, it's frustrating and at some point we need to all wake up and force some real change in this city before it's too late.  Not sure what that is or how it's done, but still.

[JeffreyS]

I have ridden the metro link a few times and it is really nice.  My in laws live just north of St. Louis county and told me about 10 years ago their county voted down the metro link coming their way after fear mongering TV ads told them how all the poor people would be riding north.  Well the area has seen how the western part of the metro has bloomed with the LRT and all wish they could have that vote back.

Jax we could do this it(rail not LRT yet) if we would just think in terms of what is best instead of what will the feds contribute to the fastest.

[Coolyfett]

Thats a nice system. I had clue St Louis was getting down like that. I noticed their sports area is connected as well. Some stations look like heavy rail stations with platforms but other stations look like that street car thing with no roof to protect from weather. They need to cover those stations. They sure have got A LOT down in 15 years. That is very impressive.

[Ocklawaha]

BUFFALO SUBWAY LRT

When JTA was set on building the mega-bus BRT system (and they might still be) they went to the public meetings quoting the costs of the initial St. Louis and Buffalo LRT systems. "See LRT costs TWICE as much as BRT!"

Of course when JTA went on their informative dog and pony show, nobody in Jacksonville realized that both of these systems make use of SUBWAY construction!
Okay JTA, I'll play fair here, give me the cost estimate of your BRT IN A SUBWAY, then we'll talk.


OCKLAWAHA

[tayana42]

Looks very attractive from a passenger viewpoint.  I've ridden the Portland, Oregon, light rail and like it.  Doesn't JTA have a conflicting mission:  highways AND public transport?  Or is it just the staff that needs replacing?

[Ocklawaha]

Looks very attractive from a passenger viewpoint.  I've ridden the Portland, Oregon, light rail and like it.  Doesn't JTA have a conflicting mission:  highways AND public transport?  Or is it just the staff that needs replacing?

ABSOLUTE CONFLICT OF INTEREST...

OCKLAWAHA

[CS Foltz]

Those JTA jack wagons need to resign so that we may start over! BRT is better than rail and cheaper.....yeah right! $12 Million for downtown and $25 Million for Philips Highway.......that equals $37 Million total for what.....a total of what 10 bus's?

[Ocklawaha]

Kind of sez it all...

http://www.youtube.com/v/Bk2xhRCoAEw?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x402061&color2=0x9461ca

OCKLAWAHA

[dlemore]

I'm beginning to think JTA only saves money if they buy buses in bulk every 10-15years...who today want's a bus that runs on gas? If one day in the near future the JTA is told there's a shortage of fuel, what would JTA do with all those buses and its drivers? One disruption of the straits of Hormuz by Iran is all it would take. Maybe Obama and the CIA is now setting this country up for such a disruption with light & high speed rail. Israel will not wait forever!!  Does JTA and its leaders get the message? What would such a disruption do to this city and its economy? BRT with those stinking buses need to be put on the backburner.....time for light rail is today!!

[spuwho]

St Louis LRT took alot of political wrangling and votes, but it did pass. They have done it well and the people really like it. The fact that they had cooperation from Illinois IDOT to run it out to Gateway Airport (old Scott AFB) has alot of similarity to Jacksonville's Cecil Field. The ability to use the Eads Bridge was a classic move that adds to the effectiveness to the system.

We looked at flying a group charter for a St Louis event out of JIA to Gateway Airport and then use the LRT to get to the hotel downtown. While the air portion of the charter fell apart, the cooperation from the transit agency was fantastic.

In 2007 I used transit exclusively in a business trip to Dallas. From DFW to the city on TRE, switch over to LRT and stayed in a cheaper hotel on the far north side and commuted to the conference every day.  When it was done took TRE back to DFW (using a bus connector).

The benefit in STL and Dallas, is it is published clearly, the stops have the connections that are clearly marked and the system is INTEGRATED. Meaning when the train stops, there is a bus waiting for you to take you to your destination on the route. That is what good transit is all about.

[thelakelander]

I've done the same thing in Dallas as well a couple of times.  Switching modes is not an issue when systems are integrated and perfectly timed.

[CS Foltz]

lake..........I concur! I have been to Dallas and used both! Makes me cry when I get back to Jacksonville and look at what we have! Supid JTA.......they could not plan their way out of a phone booth! Integration and timing something JTA knows nothing about!

[Keith-N-Jax]

When I lived in Atlanta and was with out a car for 8 months Marta became my best friend. Caught the train in Doraville to five points, then east train to Avondale station, from there the bus to Dekalb Med Ctr. I always took the train DT for events and to the airport. One day maybe, one day