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Don’t Forget: Ride Metro to Fair Saint Louis
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Metro transit makes it easy for everyone to safely and conveniently get to the 2015 Fair Saint Louis celebration in Forest Park on Thursday, July 2, Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. Additional MetroLink service will be provided during the fair, and fairgoers, workers and volunteers can use one of two MetroLink stations to reach the festivities.
Both the Skinker MetroLink Station and Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station are just over a half-mile from the fairground entrances. Due to bridge construction adjacent to the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station and to help speed up the process of getting large crowds on the MetroLink trains at both stations after the fireworks each night, it is recommended that:
- All Illinois passengers and Missouri Blue Line passengers use the Skinker MetroLink Station.
- All Missouri Red Line passengers use the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station.
Trains will be crowded, especially after the fireworks shows each night, so passengers are asked to be patient and respectful of others. No eating, drinking or smoking (including e-cigarettes) is allowed on Metro vehicles and Metro property. For those bringing strollers on MetroLink, please be prepared to fold them up before boarding crowded trains. Alcohol and firearms are prohibited on Metro vehicles and Metro property, and no alcohol or coolers are allowed at the fair. Pets are not permitted on Metro vehicles, except for service animals.
Leaving the Fair from the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station
Click image to enlarge.
MetroLink passengers leaving the fair from the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station will need to line up on DeBaliviere Avenue, just south of the station, north of the Missouri History Museum. The southbound lanes of DeBaliviere Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic and divided into three paths for pedestrians.
Passengers traveling westbound on MetroLink, toward Lambert Airport or Shrewsbury, will need to use the left walkway to access the westbound platform of the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station. Passengers traveling eastbound on MetroLink toward Illinois will need to use the right walkway to access the station’s eastbound platform. The center walkway will allow pedestrians to cross over the MetroLink tracks and connect with Pershing Avenue and the bus stop on Pershing served by the #1 Gold and #90 Hampton MetroBus routes.
Purchasing Tickets
Metro employees and ticket agents will be at high volume MetroLink stations along the system to assist fairgoers all three days. A Metro ticket booth will also be located at the corner of DeBaliviere Avenue and Lindell Boulevard, just north of the Missouri History Museum. To help reduce delays in their return trips, all Metro riders are encouraged to purchase two one-ride tickets as they head to the fair, and to validate one ticket before boarding the train to the fair and to validate the other ticket before boarding the train home.
MetroBus
MetroBus is another option for fairgoers. The #1 Gold and #90 Hampton MetroBus routes serve the Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station, and riders can walk directly from the bus stop into Forest Park. The #2 Red and #16 City Limits serve bus stops near the Skinker MetroLink Station. In addition, most MetroBus routes connect with MetroLink. The #3 Forest Park Trolley will not be in service during the fair.
On Thursday, July 2, Metro transit will operate on a normal weekday schedule, running extra MetroLink trains to accommodate normal weekday riders, baseball fans and Fair Saint Louis crowds. On Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, transit service will operate on a Saturday schedule with extra MetroLink trains added as needed to accommodate fair attendees, parade-goers and baseball fans.
Free Park-Ride Lots
There are more than 10,000 free parking spots at 20 Park-Ride lots at MetroLink stations in Missouri and Illinois. In Missouri, free Park-Ride lots are located at the North Hanley, UMSL South, Rock Road, Wellston, Delmar Loop, Grand, Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44, Sunnen, Brentwood I-64 and Richmond Heights MetroLink Stations. In Illinois, free Park-Ride lots are located at the East Riverfront, 5th & Missouri, Emerson Park, Washington Park, Fairview Heights, Memorial Hospital, Swansea, Belleville, College and Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Stations.
Approximately 1,200 free parking spaces are available on July 3 and July 4 at the Brentwood I-64 Meridian garage. Metro customers will be able to park on all levels of the garage as well as all levels of the adjoining garage thanks to the generosity of the DCM Group. Other Park-Ride lots with large numbers of free parking spaces include the North Hanley MetroLink Station with 1,700, Fairview Heights Station with 850, Emerson Park Station with 800 and Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 Station with 800.
The Forest Park-DeBaliviere MetroLink Station Park-Ride lot will be closed for the duration of the fair, beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 2.
Passengers With Bicycles
Metro customers can transport their bicycles on MetroBus or MetroLink. Racks that will hold two bicycles are located on the front of all MetroBus vehicles. On MetroLink, Bicycle Parking Zones are located in the doorways at the rear of the first train car, as well as the front and rear of the second train car. Two bicycles are permitted per Bicycle Parking Zone, as well as an additional bicycle belonging to a child accompanied by an adult. Due to large fair crowds taking MetroLink, there may be a lack of room in the designated bicycle areas, and passengers with bicycles may be instructed to wait for a less crowded train. Metro customers bringing bicycles on board are urged to allow all other passengers to board before loading their bicycles on the train car. Passengers must remain with their bicycles at all times and cannot park their bicycles on the steps inside the MetroLink cars. Metro operators cannot leave the bus or train to assist passengers with loading or unloading their bicycles.
More Information
Additional information is available at metrostlouis.org or by calling Metro Transit Information, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 314-231-2345 (Missouri) or 618-271-2345 (Illinois). Metro Transit Information will be closed on July 3 in observance of the holiday.
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How are the crows during and after the fair especially after the fireworks? I assume the bus options would be better if you are someone that does not want to wait in line. The 1 and 2 looks especially good since I can take them to another Metrolink Station to board a train instead of waiting in line. Is this fair to assume?
Shannon, we are expecting large crowds at Fair Saint Louis. Actually, both MetroBus and MetroLink are great options. In fact, last year, we were able to clear the Forest Park-DeBalievere MetroLink Station in about an hour!
Will Metro add extra bus service as well? Last year has server over crowding issues on the #90 and #16.
At this time, we do not plan to add extra bus service.
Why? After 5p the #90 & #16 runs every 40 minutes. and a 40 minute headway is not sufficient to accommodate crowds going to/from Fair St. Louis especially after the fireworks.
We are operating Saturday service Friday and Satruday, hich has late service on most routes.
I feel that bus riders are being ignored for this event. Historically, how is ridership on the 1 or 2? Ive been to many major US cities for large events like this one. I plan to compare STL Metro’s handling of crowds and service levels to meet demand.
Is it correct to assume that the pedestrian path to Pershing and DeBalviere for bus or walking should be clear? As opposed to lines forming to enter the station. Also, what about access for those coming from north of the park? Will they have to go and form lines as well on these days? Is there a north entrance?
Also it seems this is just by the honor system since the trains share the same platform. Why have 2 lines, each designated for a direction? It seems that people will just form 2 lines in, 1 for each entrance.