MetroLink riders along the central corridor now have a new spot to hop aboard both red- and blue-line trains. The new Cortex MetroLink Station – the 38th station for the light-rail system, which first began service 25 years ago – opened on Tuesday, July 31.
“There’s been a call to construct a station at this burgeoning Cortex innovation district for some time,” said Jessica Mefford-Miller, interim executive director of Metro Transit.
She emphasized the significance of the new light-rail stop – situated between the existing Central West End and Grand stations – as part of a major public-private partnership.
June Fowler – vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs at nearby BJC Healthcare and the newly announced board chair for Citizens for Modern Transit – noted that the Central West End stop is currently the busiest station within the entire MetroLink alignment.
“We know the importance of transit and access to good transit for our employees, our patients and so many members of our community,” Fowler said. “We think of ourselves as not only an organization that provides great health care but also an important part of the economic development in this region. Public transit plays an integral role in that.”
She added that the advocacy organization Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT) works in partnership with Metro Transit to push for “good, comprehensive access to safe and reliable transit.”
Economic development was a primary focus in designing the Cortex stop, Mefford-Miller said.
“We anticipate an estimated 13,000 jobs to be created in this part of the region that’s already growing very rapidly,” she said.
Fowler said she sees room for improvement in the transit system.
“It is absolutely no secret that there are challenges when it comes to some of the feelings and experiences that people have on the system,” Fowler said.
“We’re working not only at CMT but with Metro, with our law enforcement officials, to really address those issues. It is not just on the system where these issues of safety and security are taking place. It’s kind of endemic to our community right now. We’ve got to have a holistic approach to public safety.”
Another challenge, Fowler said, is the continuing need for expansion in other areas of the St. Louis region.
“The rate of expansion of the system can’t happen fast enough,” she said. “There are people who need access from where they are to where the jobs are. And public transportation can be that link.”
Missouri state Rep. Peter Meredith (D-St. Louis) asked about the possibility of making the St. Louis area transit free to riders, thereby removing the ticketing process entirely.
Mefford-Miller said that passenger fares are a significant source of operational funding.
“In our city and other cities nationwide, [passengers] actually support about 20 percent of the cost to provide service, and so there would have to be some revenue stream to offset that lost revenue,” she said.
“It’s not a one-for-one loss – certainly there are costs associated with collecting fares, fare enforcement, equipment and other technology out there. So, I hear ya, and certainly there’s a desire to do that. We are working to make the Metro system more accessible by reducing the barrier of fares.”
She noted that Metro earlier this summer launched the Gateway Go Card, a half-price pilot program for area youth ages 13 to 25.
Reprinted with permission from news.stlpublicradio.org.
