Passenger Transportation

Receding River Allows Amtrak to Restore Full Service to Kansas City

Amtrak: Now free to move about Missouri.​Amtrak will restore full service between St. Louis and Kansas City beginning Wednesday. Flooding along the Missouri River forced Amtrak to reduce its runs between the two cities earlier this month after Union Pacific switched more of its freight traffic ont ... More >>

Swollen Missouri River Forces Amtrak to Reduce St. Louis to Kansas City Service

The Union Pacific line west of Jefferson City as viewed this morning.​Flood waters along the Missouri River have forced the Union Pacific railroad to divert its freight trains to a line of track the carrier shares with Amtrak. The resulting congestion has forced the passenger train to temporarily ... More >>

Lambert Cabbie Fees: Update on Drivers' Suit Against Taxicab Commission

An extra airport fee to fund the taxicab commission is legal, its lawyer says.​Last week, we told you about the lawsuit filed by a pair of taxi drivers, alleging that the $1 fee assessed on cabs leaving Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is an illegal tax.But within days of the class action s ... More >>

Drunk Pulled From Illinois River

greenecountyil.com/ferry​A ferry boat operator and a brave sheriff's deputy teamed up to rescue a Calhoun County man from the icy Illinois River on Saturday. Charles Sidwell, 58, of Kampsville, sent his his 2002 Grand Cherokee flying into the river around 10:30 p.m. February 19 when he failed to s ... More >>

Before Amtrak Gets Fast, It's About to Get Slow

Someone oughtta right a song about this. Oh, wait...​Beginning today Amtrak service between Chicago and St. Louis will experience several interruptions for track maintenance as part of an effort to create a high-speed route between the two cities. Passengers who use Amtrak's Lincoln Service depart ... More >>

Construction on High-Speed Rail to Chicago Underway

Amtrak's St. Louis-Chicago route, converting to high-speed...eventually.​The dream is alive! Construction on a new high-speed rail line between St. Louis and Chicago is set to begin in September and the first 90 miles -- extending from just north of Alton to just south of Lincoln but excluding ... More >>

Former St. Louis Mayor Sues Metro; Is Quite Okay About It

mhmvoices.orgFreeman Bosley Jr.​Just hung up the phone with Freeman Bosley Jr., St. Louis' 43rd mayor (1993-1997).As you may have read, Bosley, now an attorney in private practice, filed suit yesterday against Bi-State (a.k.a. Metro) claiming that the transit agency failed to meet its minority par ... More >>

High-Speed Rail From St. Louis to Chicago Gets $1.1 Billion in Funds

​Four-hour train trips to Chicago -- at speeds hitting 110 m.p.h. -- are one step closer to becoming reality. President Barack Obama will be in Florida today to unveil how the government plans to spend $8 billion it's set aside in stimulus money for some 13 high-speed rail corridors throughout the ... More >>

Metro to Voters: Pass Our Tax or We'll Cut Ya' in Half

That's pretty much the message that Robert Baer, president and CEO of the Metro transit agency, delivered to St. Louis County voters in today's Post-Dispatch. Baer says that if county voters do not approve a half-cent sales tax in April, the agency will be forced to cut half its service beginning ne ... More >>

On the Internet "Free" Is Just Another Word For "Can We Pick Your Pocket?"

Photo by: flickr.com samiksha / CC BY 2.0​Ever wonder what ''free" as in "free offer" really means? Of course, we all know that when you get an email with a free offer from some company you've never heard of it's very likely not actually free. That's a given. But what if the offer came f ... More >>

Video: Hive, the Latest Piece of Metro Link Art, is Dedicated at Delmar Stop

Photo: Nick Lucchesi"Hive," the latest piece of artwork featured at a Metro stop, was dedicated last night.​ Last night at the Delmar Loop Metro stop, "Hive," a honeycomb-on-acid sculpture by Minneapolis-based artists Janet Lofquist, was dedicated to the public, although anyone who's been by the c ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 9.1

​ Sheila Lukins, co-author of "The Silver Palate" cookbooks, has died. (Epicurious.com)Velveeta thief charged with DWI. (Buffalo News)New York's Major League Baseball stadiums add fresh fruit to their concession stands. (New York Times)Brain sandwich wins Indiana bar "Manliest Restaurant in ... More >>

Institute Seeks Great Mustached Americans for Annual "Goulet Award"

The late singer and actor, Robert Goulet.​The St. Louis-based American Mustache Institute is soliciting nominations for its second-annual Goulet Award -- an honor bestowed upon a mustachioed individual whose acts and reputation glorify upper-lip hair. Last year's award went to Tim Galvin, a former ... More >>

Chris Cornell Makes It Unsafe to Fly the Friendly Skies

metalsucks.net​Virgin America is the only way to fly to London. A few years ago when I traveled overseas, the amenities I received -- from the free booze and gourmet-ish dinners to the cute little facemask for sleeping -- blew my mind. And that wasn't even taking into account the music and movie s ... More >>

Metro Restores Some Bus Services; No Changes to Metrolink

Photo: Nick Lucchesi​The St. Louis public transit agency, Metro, today restored some of the bus service it was forced to cut March 30 due to budget shortfalls.The return of those bus lines comes as Metro takes advantage of a one-time $12 million appropriation from the state legislature. MetroLink ... More >>

Proposal Calls for Super Fast Train Connecting St. Louis to Chicago; Speeds Up to 220 m.p.h.

midwesthsr.orgBecause no one can ever get enough news from Progressive Railroading (a.k.a. "The Rail Professionals' Information Source"), I share with you an article from last week's issue. It's about a proposed, high-speed train connecting St. Louis to Chicago. Unlike a proposal in April that calle ... More >>

Rep. Russ Carnahan Files Legislation to Aid St. Louis Transit Agency

flickr.com/photos/stlphotobloggerU.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-St. Louis) filed a bill in Congress yesterday that would allow public transit agencies such as Metro to use federal transit funding for day-to-day operating expenses. Under current law, transit systems located in areas with more than 200,00 ... More >>

Branson Entertainers Visit U.S. Troops Overseas (As If They Haven't Suffered Enough)

This just in from the media arm of Mansion Theatre, home of "Branson's biggest shows."A junket of Branson-based singers and a few Branson favorites (i.e. Tony Orlando) just returned from a trip to Iraq and Germany to visit and entertain U.S. troops. The group also handed out Crocs sandals to the Ira ... More >>

St. Louis to Chicago in Under Four Hours By Train

It may be possible in the not-too-distant future. Yesterday President Barack Obama unveiled plans for a high-speed rail network throughout the United States. A Midwestern route -- with a hub based in Chicago -- could go online in 2012 connecting the Windy City with Milwaukee and Detroit. Another lin ... More >>

Shoe Bomb Joke Lands St. Louis DJ in Jail

This is why you don't talk about shoe bombs on airplanes. Michael Shafermeyer, aka DJ Helias of the local music collective The Frozen Food Section, was reportedly leaving Lambert Field on Monday to attend his wedding in Maryland when he made a joke about having a shoe bomb to a United Airlines ... More >>

More MetroLink Fallout: Post-Dispatch Editorial Board Farts in RFT's General Direction

St. Louis Gets a Grand Central Station (Sort Of)

Does It Offend You, Yeah? at the Fader Fort

Tom Sullivan Takes on the Post

Pay Up!

Metro wants Claire McCaskill to foot the auditing bill

Death and Taxis

Minority cab companies doing business with the airport may face extinction

Best Boondoggle

The Lambert Airport expansion

Best Public Works Project

MetroLink Expansion

Letters

Week of April 14, 2004

Uneasy Street

How many Metro employees does it take to screw in a streetlamp?

Cash Landing

With bills coming due at Lambert, St. Louis considers drastic change

Letters

Week of October 8, 2003

Tailspin

Lambert's billion-dollar expansion hangs on a wing and a prayer: The numbers no longer add up

White-Trash Junction

Amtrak's station was supposed to be temporary -- a quarter-century ago

Cab Fair

A new taxi commission sets up shop but is already mired in Lambert Field mud

Golden Rails

Sure, MetroLink's expensive -- so's your Lincoln Navigator

If You Build It, They May Fly Elsewhere

High-dollar airport expansion rolls on despite fewer flights, loss of TWA

Busywork

Stepped-up airport security is more sizzle than steak

Best Places to Watch a Play

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Something Has to Give

Bi-State prepares to cut suburban routes that, by all logic, should have been packed

Letters

Week of July 11, 2001

The Transit Authority

Bi-State is losing riders and money. Mike McGrath, who has driven a bus for more than a year, thinks he knows what's wrong.

Do You Consider Yourself a Team Player or a Maverick?

Week of July 4th, 2001

Best Bi-State Bus Route

No. 70 Grand

Letters to the Editor

Published the week of June 7

St. Louisans, Start Your Engines

Missouri again thumbs its nose at the area's mass-transit needs

What Is Your Greatest Athletic Feat?

Letters to the Editor

You Can't Take the "Me" Out of Metrolink