Members of the Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners Operations Committee discussed the potential of going to one-car MetroLink trains at its August 27 meeting. Metro COO Ron Forrest proposed a one-car consist for MetroLink, which according to Forrest would improve fleet sustainability, increase the life span of vehicles, represent an annual cost savings of between $1 and $4 million, and decrease the number of vehicles needing to be patrolled by security personnel.
Forrest did acknowledge the potential impact on riders’ comfort as part of this proposed change.
Three models were presented for consideration:
Model 1
Model 1 would see both Blue and Red line trains reduced from two cars to one car on weekdays and weekends. Frequency would be adjusted to address potential crowding at high-ridership stations along the alignment.
Model 2
Model 2 would see Blue line trains only reduced from two cars to one car on weekdays, while on weekends, both Blue and Red line trains would be reduced from two cars to one.
Model 3
Model 3 represents a service increase as opposed to a consist change. Blue line trains frequency could be increased to every 15 minutes with Red line trains held at a frequency of 20 minutes.
Siemens, who manufactures the light rail vehicles for Metro Transit, recommends a maximum capacity of 178 riders per car. At that capacity, 72 riders would be seated and 106 riders would be standing. Metro Transit and Bi-State Development representatives acknowledged passenger comfort will be a pain point should Metro Transit proceed with Model 1 or Model 2.
The presentation underscored while Model 1 might represent maximum savings for the agency, it also includes the highest risk of crowding on trains. Model 2, while consisting of lower savings in comparison to Model 1, also does not include as severe crowding issues. Model 3 would introduce a lot of operational complexity and is not being considered as a viable option by Metro Transit’s leadership.
The presentation spurred a robust conversation among Commissioners, and ultimately, Metro representatives indicated their recommended path forward would consist of a pilot where one-car consists would be deployed during peak ridership periods to ensure the data Metro has gathered is supported by operational experience. This pilot would take place in Winter 2026, and, if deemed acceptable, would lead to service changes in Spring 2027 to support the new consist model.
During the pilot, Metro Transit staff would ride the system and gather customer feedback in addition to simply observing ridership and passenger load on affected vehicles. Staff is in the process of preparing additional information on the pilot to Commissioners and to look for a vote on the authorization of the pilot at next month’s Operations Committee meeting.
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Interested individuals can view a recording of the Board of Commissioner’s Operations Committee meeting here. Meeting materials, including the presentation, are available here.
