ST. LOUIS METROPOLITAN AREA--RAPID TRANSIT FEASIBILITY STUDY LONG-RANGE PROGRAM

The purposes of this study were to determine the type of mass transit system or systems most appropriate for St. Louis in the future; to evaluate alternative system configurations and routings; and to provide the community's decision-makers with sufficient information concerning costs, benefits, and related factors to permit selection and early implementation of a plan to guide the development of the area's transit system. The study consisted of three broad phases. Phase I was concerned with data gathering, Phase II was concerned with the anticipated future growth of the area and changes in its socioeconomic characteristics that are likely to affect transit requirements; development of public transport system policies; and an evaluation of conventional and alternative future transit systems. The two alternative systems selected for Phase II analysis were: (1) a system of buses using the existing and proposed future highway network with improvements that could be achieved at modest cost, and (2) a train (rail-like) system operating on grade-separated exclusive right-of-way. The early portion of Phase III consisted of an analysis and presentation of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the systems. The decision was then made to proceed with an order-of-magnitude planning approach for an area-wide train system supplemented by a complementary surface bus system. As a result of the investigations and analyses carried out during the course of the study the following conclusions were reached: 1) Revenues from the new transportation system will be adequate to cover operating costs, including contingency and depreciation on vehicles. 2) If rapid transit is to be implemented in the St. Louis area, it should utilize steel-wheel/steel-rail, air-conditioned vehicles operating in automatically controlled trains with minimum headways of 90 seconds. (3) The forecast growth of the study area from a population of about 2,300,000 in 1965 to almost 3,200,000 by 1990, accompanied by a corresponding growth in employment opportunities and changes in the socioeconomic characteristics of the inhabitants, will result in 60-percent more trips being make on a typical weekday in 1990 than were recorded on a typical weekday in 1965.

• Corporate Authors:

  Parsons, Brinckerhoff-Tudor-Bechtel

  814 Mission Street
  San Francisco, CA  United States  94103
• Publication Date: 1971-8

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Rapid transit
• Geographic Terms: Saint Louis (Missouri)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00044214
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 15 1974 12:00AM