By Adam Allington, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis, MO – Following the passage of Prop-A, the St. Louis Transit Agency Metro is set to phase in bus and Metrolink services that were cut last March.
Beginning on June 28th , Metrolink will have trains stopping every 12 minutes during peak hours, instead of 15 minutes.
Metro will also add buses to the busiest city bus routes, such as Grand Avenue and Kingshighway.
Much of Metro's phase one restoration is located in St. Louis City, but Metro's Chief of Planning Jessica Medford-Miller says service restoration will benefit both city and county riders.
"Some of the phase one is County," said Medford-Miller". Keep in mind, the biggest chunk of restoration that is going to occur on June 28th is Metrolink which of course impacts St. Louis City, St. Louis County and Illinois."
Medford-Miller says Metro has an immediate need to hire and train some 120 new bus drivers.
Metro's Chief Operating Officer Ray Friem says Metroklink will be the first target for service restoration since it will require the least additional manpower.
"First off, we go from 4 [Metrolink] trains per hour to five trains per hour," says Friem. "The additional manpower will also give us a little bit of flexibility that we haven't had. And Metrolink was not included in the restoration from the state, that was all 100 percent bus. So, this will be the first re-initiation of service on Metrolink since the original cut."
Metro says last year's service cuts resulted in 17 percent ridership loss.
Notice of service restoration will go up at bus stops and transfer centers as they come online.