St. Louis Metro Transit is working with its teams and contractors to assess and repair damage done to its light-rail system during record-setting rainfall and flash flooding that occurred July 26. The MetroLink system is currently operating at 20-minute service intervals between Central West End and Shiloh-Scott Stations on the Red Line and between Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 and Skinker Stations on the Blue Line.
Preliminary estimates of damage range between $18-$20 million with MetroLink equipment between Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Delmar Loop Stations sustaining the most significant flood damage. Light-rail track beds are damaged, as are light-rail communications, fiber optics and signal system. St. Louis Metro is expecting to have two vehicles declared a total loss: a Metro Call-A-Ride vehicle that was caught in flash flooding and a MetroLink train, which is valued at $10 million.
Bi-State Development President and CEO Taulby Roach explained the 46-mile MetroLink system had not experienced the levels of flash flooding since it opened in 1993.
“What occurred on July 26 was beyond our control and we ask for our riders to be patient in the days and weeks to come as we work through these unprecedented challenges to fully restore MetroLink service,” Roach said. “In the meantime, we are transporting our MetroLink riders by bus shuttles between stations where the trains are unable to operate. We recognize it is not as convenient for our customers and their commutes are taking longer than normal because traveling by bus is not as fast or efficient as taking MetroLink. Many of these operators are working long days and overtime so please thank them when you see them. Our team has made tremendous efforts during the past 48 hours to restore partial service and will continue these extraordinary efforts. Some of our employees are flood victims themselves and have damage to their homes and personal vehicles but are on the job to help keep the region moving.”
The agency is requesting emergency federal and state funding to help cover the losses caused by the extreme weather event.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
