Forest Park–DeBaliviere station explained

Style:MetroLink (St. Louis)
Forest Park–DeBaliviere
Address:250 DeBaliviere Avenue
Borough:St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates:38.6478°N -90.2847°W
Owned:Bi-State Development
Operator:Metro Transit
Platform:1 island platform
Tracks:2
Structure:Below-grade
Parking:115 spaces[1]
Bicycle:Racks, St. Vincent Greenway
Accessible:Yes
Opened:[2]
Rebuilt:2006
Former:Forest Park
Pass Year:2018
Passengers:3,711 daily
Pass Rank:2 out of 38
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Line:none
Marker:rail-light
Marker-Color:
  1. 000
Zoom:15

Forest Park–DeBaliviere station is a light rail station on the Red and Blue lines of the St. Louis MetroLink system.[3] This below-grade station is located at the northeast corner of Forest Park Parkway and DeBaliviere Avenue in St. Louis and is designated as the primary transfer point between the two lines.

The Loop Trolley, a seasonally operated heritage streetcar service that travels along DeBaliviere Avenue and Delmar Boulevard, has a stop adjacent to the entrance of the station.[4]

History

The station opened on July 31, 1993, as one of the original MetroLink stations. It was originally constructed with side platforms and a single entrance serving the westbound platform. Access to the eastbound platform required walking the length of the westbound platform and crossing the tracks at the end.

As part of MetroLink's Cross County extension the station was reconstructed with an island platform to allow cross platform transfers between the Red and Blue lines. The entrance was also relocated to DeBaliviere Avenue with an elevator and staircase on both sides of the street. The elevator and staircase from the original westbound platform still exist and are used for maintenance access.

In 2022, two developments opened on the former park and ride lot and strip mall adjacent to the station.[5] One of the largest transit oriented developments in St. Louis to date, the two projects brought 437 new residential units and nearly 40,000 square feet of new commercial space to the area surrounding the station.[6] Included in the garage are 115 free park and ride spaces for Metro customers.[7]

On July 26, 2022, the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station was impacted by a flash flood that shut down MetroLink for nearly 72 hours and caused roughly $40 million in overall damage.[8] [9] Damage at Forest Park-DeBaliviere included both elevators, a communications room and three signal houses.[10] By September, normal Red Line service had resumed while restricted service continued on the Blue Line.[11] On July 31, 2023, Metro received $27.7 million in federal emergency disaster relief funding to help cover the cost of flood damage.[12]

In March 2024, Blue Line platform and speed restrictions were lifted with the last damaged signal house now operational.[13]

Station layout

The platform is accessed via an elevator or set of stairs on either the east or west side of DeBaliviere Avenue.

GStreet levelEntrance/exit, bus stop, trolley stop, garage
P
Platform level
Westbound← toward
← toward
Eastbound toward →
toward →

Public artwork

In 2016, Metro's Arts in Transit program commissioned the work Vehicle.Destination.Imagination. by Con Christeson and Catharine Magel for this station. The mural, located along the south retaining wall, combines three-dimensional elements with vibrant colors to celebrate the spirit of the St. Louis region.[14]

In 2022, artist JONUHHM painted a mural depicting several vibrantly colored birds called Better by your side on a wall next to the station's bus turnaround.[15]

Notable places nearby

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Park and Ride . June 7, 2023 . . en.
  2. News: Lindecke . Fred W. . August 1, 1993 . Area Riders Throng to Try MetroLink . 1A, 6A . . April 15, 2021 . Newspapers.com.
  3. Web site: Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station . September 12, 2022 . metrostlouis.org . en.
  4. Web site: FAQs . September 12, 2022 . STL Loop Trolley . en.
  5. Web site: Stritzel . Chris . April 9, 2021 . The Scene: DeBaliviere Transit Oriented Developments Begin Making an Impact . September 12, 2022 . CityScene STL . en.
  6. Web site: Expo at Forest Park . September 12, 2022 . metrostlouis.org . en.
  7. Web site: Parking Available for Metro Transit Customers at the Expo at Forest Park Garage . May 16, 2023 . Metro Transit – Saint Louis . en.
  8. Web site: Lindsey . August 16, 2022 . MetroLink Flood Damage Update . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912184611/https://www.metrostlouis.org/nextstop/metrolink-flood-damage-update/ . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . metrostlouis.org . en.
  9. Web site: Schrappen . Colleen . August 21, 2022 . MetroLink to resume full service, but cost for flood repairs could double . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912184611/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/metrolink-to-resume-full-service-but-cost-for-flood-repairs-could-double/article_70bf3e11-22c2-5a90-b4b3-8bce5bb133e5.html . September 12, 2022 . September 12, 2022 . STLtoday.com . en.
  10. Web site: Jerry . 2023-08-09 . Flood Update: Metro Transit Receives $27.7 Million in Disaster Relief Funding . 2023-09-05 . Metro Transit – Saint Louis . en.
  11. Web site: Jerry . 2022-09-01 . MetroLink Changes Starting September 5: Blue Line Service to Operate Between Shrewsbury and Forest Park . 2024-03-18 . Metro Transit – Saint Louis . en.
  12. Web site: Schlinkmann . Mark . 2023-08-01 . Metro gets nearly $28 million in federal aid to cover repairs after 2022 flood . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230905225938/https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/metro-gets-nearly-28-million-in-federal-aid-to-cover-repairs-after-2022-flood/article_beef2952-2fde-11ee-baa6-2f17be35d7f1.html . September 5, 2023 . 2023-09-05 . STLtoday.com . en.
  13. Web site: Upcoming Schedule Changes . 2024-03-18 . Metro Transit – Saint Louis . en.
  14. Web site: Vehicle.Destination. Imagination. . October 3, 2022 . Arts in Transit, Inc . en-US.
  15. Web site: Instagram . 2024-03-22 . www.instagram.com.