2008 Woodie Awards
For trains and buses, a union at new station
Kat Patke
Issue date: 8/21/08 Section: Features
Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, anyone desiring to take an Amtrak train out of St. Louis had to first brave the drive down a bumpy gravel driveway, followed by a wait in a somewhat remote, cramped warehouse-esque building located underneath Interstate 64/Highway 40. Catching a Greyhound bus was still a hop, skip and 1.5-mile drive from the Amtrak station.
Boarding the MetroLink or a city bus would demand a walk of several city blocks from either Greyhound or Amtrak.
As of this month, however, the days of out-of-sync and unconnected alternative transportation could be at their end thanks to the brand-new, $28 million St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center.
An alternative transportation haven of sorts, the new multimodal station will serve as a central hub for city buses, the main terminal for Greyhound buses and the new Amtrak station and is located only steps from the Civic Center MetroLink stop.
As a result, different modes of transportation that were once disconnected from each other will be united under a single roof, creating what St. Louis Deputy City Engineer Joe Kuss described as "one-stop shopping for transportation."
While the physical construction took about a year and a half, the idea itself has been about 15 years in the making, according to Tom Shrout, director of Citizens for Modern Transit.
"Our organization conceived of the idea … and began to work with elected officials to see if we could make it happen," he said.
In addition to providing a central transportation center and link, the station will include new dining options, a lounge for Amtrak's business and sleeper car passengers, a taxicab stand and all-weather, enclosed walkways to the trains, something that the current Amtrak station lacks.
"There is no comparison [between the old and new station]. This will be much nicer, more comfortable for passengers, with many more amenities," Shrout said. "It's bright, it's airy and … not off of a gravel parking lot."
Boarding the MetroLink or a city bus would demand a walk of several city blocks from either Greyhound or Amtrak.
As of this month, however, the days of out-of-sync and unconnected alternative transportation could be at their end thanks to the brand-new, $28 million St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center.
An alternative transportation haven of sorts, the new multimodal station will serve as a central hub for city buses, the main terminal for Greyhound buses and the new Amtrak station and is located only steps from the Civic Center MetroLink stop.
As a result, different modes of transportation that were once disconnected from each other will be united under a single roof, creating what St. Louis Deputy City Engineer Joe Kuss described as "one-stop shopping for transportation."
While the physical construction took about a year and a half, the idea itself has been about 15 years in the making, according to Tom Shrout, director of Citizens for Modern Transit.
"Our organization conceived of the idea … and began to work with elected officials to see if we could make it happen," he said.
In addition to providing a central transportation center and link, the station will include new dining options, a lounge for Amtrak's business and sleeper car passengers, a taxicab stand and all-weather, enclosed walkways to the trains, something that the current Amtrak station lacks.
"There is no comparison [between the old and new station]. This will be much nicer, more comfortable for passengers, with many more amenities," Shrout said. "It's bright, it's airy and … not off of a gravel parking lot."
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