Emerson Park station (MetroLink) explained

Emerson Park
Style:MetroLink (St. Louis)
Address:929 North 15th Street
Borough:East St. Louis, Illinois
Coordinates:38.6288°N -90.1369°W
Owned:Bi-State Development
Operator:Metro Transit
Platform:1 island platform
Tracks:2
Bus Stands:10[1]
Structure:At-grade
Parking:841 spaces[2]
Bicycle:Rack
Accessible:Yes
Opened:[3]
Pass Year:2018
Passengers:1,094 daily
Pass Rank:15 out of 38
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-light
Marker-Color:
  1. 000
Zoom:15

Emerson Park station is a light rail station on the Red and Blue lines of the St. Louis MetroLink system.[4] This at-grade station is located near 15th Street and Bowman Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois. It also serves as a transfer for MetroBus and Madison County Transit and features 841 park and ride spaces.

There is a pedestrian bridge across nearby Interstate 64 that connects this station to other parts of East St. Louis.

History

In 2014, a transit-oriented development called Jazz at Walter Circle opened adjacent to this station. The 74-unit mixed-use apartment building offers more than 100,000 square feet of floor space and includes a full-service grocery store.[5]

In 2021, the concrete area between the bus bays and MetroLink entrance was updated into a space with a vibrant-colored jazz theme, spaces to gather, greenery, shaded seating, canopies, and a mural inspired by design concepts that were submitted by East St. Louis High School students. The second "Transit Stop Transformation" project to be completed, it was unveiled on August 23, 2021, by Citizens for Modern Transit, the St. Clair County Transit District, AARP in St. Louis, and Metro Transit.[6]

In 2022, the St. Clair County Transit District awarded a $13.5 million contract to construct a new public safety center at this station. The new center opened on July 11, 2024[7] and houses space for St. Clair County sheriff’s deputies, a backup Metro Transit control center, the St. Clair County CENCOM West 9-1-1 Emergency Dispatch Center and public restrooms for riders.[8] [9]

Station layout

The island platform is accessed via a single ramp on its west end that connects to the bus boarding area and Bowman Avenue. There is a pocket track immediately east of the station allowing some trains to change direction while others continue through the station.

Westbound← toward
← toward
Eastbound toward →
toward →
StreetEntrance/exit, bus bays, park and ride

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: January 2021 . Bus Bays . May 24, 2023 . . 12.
  2. Web site: System Addresses . May 24, 2023 . . en.
  3. News: Leiser . Ken . April 30, 2001 . MetroLink Extension Opens This Weekend With Parking to Spare . A9 . . April 15, 2021 . Newspapers.com.
  4. Web site: Emerson Park Station . October 11, 2022 . metrostlouis.org . en.
  5. Web site: Hibbard . Matthew . December 22, 2014 . Emerson Park MetroLink Station Development Spurs Economic Success . October 11, 2022 . metrostlouis.org . en.
  6. Web site: Box . Mallory . August 23, 2021 . The "Transit Stop Transformation Project" at Emerson Park Transit Center Opens to The Public . October 11, 2022 . Citizens For Modern Transit . en-US.
  7. Web site: Schlinkmann . Mark . 2024-07-11 . Pritzker touts new public safety center at MetroLink station in East St. Louis . 2024-07-13 . STLtoday.com . en.
  8. Web site: Cella . Kim . September 26, 2022 . St. Clair County Transit District Awards $13.5 Million Contract to Poetkker Construction for New Public Safety Center at Emerson Park Transit Center . October 11, 2022 . Citizens For Modern Transit . en-US.
  9. Web site: Cella . Kim . 2024-07-11 . Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Local Officials Celebrate Grand Opening of the New $15 Million Public Safety Building at the Emerson Park Transit Center . 2024-07-13 . Citizens For Modern Transit . en-US.