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Blue Line (St. Louis MetroLink)
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Blue Line (St. Louis MetroLink)
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.
While officially light rail, the Blue Line features many characteristics of a light metro or rapid transit service, including a completely independent right of way, a higher top speed, and level boarding at all platforms.
Much of the Blue Line follows former railroad right of way. Starting north from Shrewsbury, the alignment crosses BNSF's Southeastern Junction and follows former Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis right of way to Clayton, briefly along Interstate 170. The stretch running eastward along Forest Park Parkway between Clayton and the Forest Park–DeBaliviere station was a Rock Island railroad right of way until it was abandoned in 1931. The section between Pershing and DeBaliviere avenues carried the #1 Kirkwood and the #14 University-Clayton streetcar lines until 1963.
In 1999, East-West Gateway staff members submitted an updated conceptual design for Segment 1 of the Cross County extension between Forest Park and Shrewsbury. Metro did not seek federal funding, instead issuing $430 million in bonds against Proposition M sales taxes. After several delays and design changes, construction began on April 9, 2003 with an estimated cost of $550 million.
Citing repeated delays and cost overruns, Metro fired and then sued its general contractor, Cross County Collaborative, in the summer of 2004. Metro sought $81 million in damages for fraud and mismanagement while the Collaborative counter-sued for $17 million for work that Metro hadn't paid for. On December 1, 2007, a jury awarded the Collaborative $2.56 million.
The 8-mile (12.9 km) Cross County extension opened on August 26, 2006 with a final cost of $676 million and added nine stations between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Shrewsbury–Lansdowne I-44. From its 2006 opening until October 27, 2008, the Blue Line was known as the Shrewsbury branch.
In 2013, the St. Louis County Council authorized loaning Metro $400 million of surplus Proposition A funds to pay off debt related to the Cross County extension.
On July 26, 2022, a flash flood shut down MetroLink for nearly 72 hours, causing roughly $40 million in damage, including to two elevators, two communications rooms, and three signal houses. While the Red Line resumed normal service in September, Blue Line service would be limited for nearly two years. On July 31, 2023, Metro received $27.7 million in federal emergency disaster relief funding to help with the repairs. In March 2024, the last damaged signal house was restored to operation and Blue Line platform and speed restrictions were lifted.
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Blue Line (St. Louis MetroLink)
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.
While officially light rail, the Blue Line features many characteristics of a light metro or rapid transit service, including a completely independent right of way, a higher top speed, and level boarding at all platforms.
Much of the Blue Line follows former railroad right of way. Starting north from Shrewsbury, the alignment crosses BNSF's Southeastern Junction and follows former Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis right of way to Clayton, briefly along Interstate 170. The stretch running eastward along Forest Park Parkway between Clayton and the Forest Park–DeBaliviere station was a Rock Island railroad right of way until it was abandoned in 1931. The section between Pershing and DeBaliviere avenues carried the #1 Kirkwood and the #14 University-Clayton streetcar lines until 1963.
In 1999, East-West Gateway staff members submitted an updated conceptual design for Segment 1 of the Cross County extension between Forest Park and Shrewsbury. Metro did not seek federal funding, instead issuing $430 million in bonds against Proposition M sales taxes. After several delays and design changes, construction began on April 9, 2003 with an estimated cost of $550 million.
Citing repeated delays and cost overruns, Metro fired and then sued its general contractor, Cross County Collaborative, in the summer of 2004. Metro sought $81 million in damages for fraud and mismanagement while the Collaborative counter-sued for $17 million for work that Metro hadn't paid for. On December 1, 2007, a jury awarded the Collaborative $2.56 million.
The 8-mile (12.9 km) Cross County extension opened on August 26, 2006 with a final cost of $676 million and added nine stations between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Shrewsbury–Lansdowne I-44. From its 2006 opening until October 27, 2008, the Blue Line was known as the Shrewsbury branch.
In 2013, the St. Louis County Council authorized loaning Metro $400 million of surplus Proposition A funds to pay off debt related to the Cross County extension.
On July 26, 2022, a flash flood shut down MetroLink for nearly 72 hours, causing roughly $40 million in damage, including to two elevators, two communications rooms, and three signal houses. While the Red Line resumed normal service in September, Blue Line service would be limited for nearly two years. On July 31, 2023, Metro received $27.7 million in federal emergency disaster relief funding to help with the repairs. In March 2024, the last damaged signal house was restored to operation and Blue Line platform and speed restrictions were lifted.
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