ST. LOUIS – MetroLink is a lightning rod for conversation across the St. Louis metropolitan area. The light rail system stretches from Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Illinois, to Shrewsbury in south St. Louis County, to St. Louis Lambert Airport in north St. Louis County.
MetroLink has its share of critics who insist the trains are unsafe and argue against expanding the public commuter service.
Earlier this week, an out-of-towner chronicled his trip from St. Louis Airport to the Amtrak station downtown to catch a late-night train back home to Carbondale, Illinois.
Matt Weiss, who gave himself the cheeky nom de guerre Midwest Tourism Bureau on social media, arrived at the airport Tuesday evening after attending a transportation conference in Miami, Florida.
Weiss loves the Midwest and spends a lot of time traveling for work. He graduated from an architecture school in Cincinnati and now works as an urban planner for a research institute that partners with the U.S. Department of Interior.
Prior to moving to Carbondale last November, Weiss lived in Chicago. He still visits friends and family regularly via train. He’s an admitted “Cubs fan by proxy.”
He uses his Midwest Tourism Bureau X account to share his appreciation for the Midwest’s affordability, comfortability, and more reasonable climate.
Weiss has been on the MetroLink a handful of times, most notably to visit the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois or the Transportation Museum in Kirkwood, but his May 7 trip drew many eyeballs and “likes” on X.
Weiss said he felt safe on his MetroLink trip compared to recent experiences on CTA trains in Chicago.
In the week leading up to his MetroLink ride, Weiss rode public transit in Chicago (CTA), Boston (MBTA), and Miami (Miami-Dade Transit). He said MetroLink compares favorably and touts the agency as “impressively reliable.” While he had positive things to say about Boston transit, Weiss said he’d been “ghosted” by buses in both Miami and Chicago. That hasn’t happened to him in St. Louis.
“Although the headways between trains in St. Louis might be a little long, having a vehicle come when the schedule eventually says it will come is the most important aspect of a reliable transit system,” Weiss said.
After getting off at the Busch Stadium MetroLink stop, Weiss said he went looking for a bite to eat before going to the downtown Amtrak station. He saw people congregating at Ballpark Village and got food there. Weiss spoke glowingly of the atmosphere after that night’s Cardinals game and said the area felt lively. He contrasted that with the stadiums in Chicago. He said Wrigley Field offers nearby nightlife options, while Guaranteed Rate Field (the former Comiskey Park II) is encircled by large parking lots and the I-90 Expressway.
Weiss said he was in downtown St. Louis about 90 minutes before he boarded his train home. He’s heard the stereotypes about safety issues on MetroLink or crime in downtown St. Louis. While he’s had uncomfortable experiences on public transit and empathizes with people’s concerns, he remains a supporter and still encourages people to try public transit for themselves and to make up their own opinions.
