News
Metro Offers Special Shuttle Service to the Soulard Mardi Gras
Metro makes it easy to get to the fun and festivities of the 2017 Mardi Gras Grand Parade in the Soulard neighborhood on Saturday, February 25. For just $6, parade-goers and celebrants can avoid the hassles of parking and congestion, and ride special Mardi Gras MetroBus shuttles between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. The special shuttle will operate between the Stadium MetroLink Station in downtown St. Louis and the Mardi Gras venue. As an added benefit for users of the Metro U-Pass or Metro Monthly Pass, both passes will be accepted as valid fare to ride the shuttle to and from the festivities at no additional cost.
The Mardi Gras shuttles will operate out of the Stadium MetroLink Station this year due to ongoing construction for the Civic Center Transit Center expansion project. The special shuttles will run every 15 minutes and will drop off and pick up passengers in Soulard on 10th Street between Carroll and Marion Streets. The $6 round-trip shuttle passes can only be purchased on February 25, at the Stadium MetroLink Station.
Riders who have a valid Metro U-Pass or Metro Monthly Pass to ride MetroLink and MetroBus can also use their passes as valid fare for the special Mardi Gras shuttles. Passengers can simply show their U-Pass or February Monthly Pass to the shuttle operator and enjoy convenient service to and from the Soulard Mardi Gras at no additional charge. Local colleges and universities participating in the Metro U-Pass program include Washington University, Saint Louis University, Webster University, St. Louis Community College, University of Missouri–St. Louis and Southwestern Illinois College.
Other Metro tickets and passes, such as one-day, two-hour, one-day and weekly passes, are not valid on the Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttles. The Mardi Gras MetroBus Shuttle Pass cannot be used to ride MetroBus or MetroLink.
MetroLink trains will operate every 20 minutes on the Red Line and Blue Line on February 25, with trains arriving every 10 minutes at stations between the Forest Park-DeBaliviere and Fairview Heights MetroLink Stations. MetroLink platforms will be monitored for crowds throughout the day, and extra MetroLink service will be added as needed.
At the end of the evening, the last eastbound train from the Stadium MetroLink Station to the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station will depart at 11:39 p.m., and the last eastbound train to the Fairview Heights Station will leave at 12:40 a.m.
Heading westbound, the final Blue Line train will depart from the Stadium MetroLink Station to the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 MetroLink Station at 12:02 a.m., and the last Red Line train to the Lambert Airport Terminal #1 Station will leave at 12:12 a.m.
Several MetroBus routes serving the Soulard area will be detoured February 25 due to the Mardi Gras festivities. Even with the reroutes in place though, MetroBus is still a good option for some transit users who take the #8 Bates-Morganford, #10 Gravois, #30 Soulard, #40 Broadway or #73 Carondelet MetroBus routes, because those routes will stop near Soulard.
Parade-goers and revelers are asked to leave their backpacks and coolers at home since they will not be allowed at the Soulard Mardi Gras. No food, drink or alcohol is permitted on MetroLink, MetroBus, the Mardi Gras Shuttles or on Metro property.
For more information about the special Mardi Gras shuttles, riders can contact Metro Transit Information at 314-231-2345 or 618-271-2345 Monday through Friday or visit metrostlouis.org. For Mardi Gras parade information and other event times, visit mardigrasinc.com.
About Metro
Metro is the operator of the St. Louis region’s public transportation system, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 391 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 77 MetroBus routes in Missouri and Illinois; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans. Metro is an enterprise of Bi-State Development (BSD), which also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park; the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD also operates the Bi-State Development Research Institute and the Regional Freight District.
