Year anniversary of Gateway Transportation Center
A year ago today the ribbon was cut on the Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis (view post).
This station includes both Greyhound bus and Amtrak train and is adjacent to a MetroLink light rail station and a regional bus hub (map link). It is a transportation mecca. Someone can use Greyhound to get to St. Louis where they can take MetroLink to the airport or Amtrak to Chicago. Or just stay in St. Louis using the light rail or bus service to explore the city and some of the region.
The interior is no Union Station but it also is a huge improvement over the “temporary” shacks that were used for 20 some years.
Security is better than other train & bus stations I’ve seen — only ticketed passengers can get to the train platform or the bus loading area. I’ve yet to take a train or bus in/out of this new station. I had used both the old stations.
Monday of this week a new long-term parking lot opened up. From the press release:
The secure 42-space parking area is paved, fenced, well-lit and monitored by security cameras. It is fully automated, only accepts credit or debit cards and offers the attractive rate is $6 for up to 24 hours and $6 for each succeeding 24-hour period.
For the 12 months ending September 30, 2009, Amtrak St. Louis ridership reached 278,778, an increase of nearly 2.5 percent (6,781 passengers) from the previous year.
If you have used the new station for bus or train service please share your thoughts below.
– Steve Patterson
I have used this station several times to take the train to Chicago. I have also picked other people up. I think the station is very nice and I also appreciate the security.
I do not like the parking situation; there is no place to just sit in my car for free if I am waiting for 10-15 minutes to pick someone up. The lot costs and the circle that goes by the front door is apparently only for taxis to loiter at; real cars get waved to keep moving but the taxis can just sit there as long as they want.
Another thing is that if this is someone's first trip to St. Louis as a tourist, there is virtually no signage when you walk out of the doors that tell you where you are and where nearby streets/landmarks are. It is kind of a long walk from the station to the nearest street (18th). A simple sign directing you to the nearest bus and metro line stops would be a great addition, but I guess if someone is totally lost they can go inside and try to ask someone.
I remember needing coins for parking and going to the snack shop to ask them to break a $5 bill. They said they could not offer change, only give it in a transaction. That was fine but the cheapest thing I could buy, a Pepsi, was over $2 which I thought very steep. It would do everyone a favor to install a change machine.
I love the Amtrak and Metrolink aspects of it. Great for parking at a Metrolink station, then transferring to the Amtrak to Chicago.
I suppose having Greyhound there is good for some. But for me personally, it's worthless.
I'll never take Greyhound. Greyhound is slow, not that cheap and has all the ambience of a homeless shelter. I've seen people who look like they just got out of prison wandering around in the new station. Is this the image we want to present to get more people to travel by train, forcing them to share space with some really revolting people?
My mom passed away in 2006 just before a trip to Toronto. I couldn't take my flight and last minute flights were beyond my budget. My only choice was Greyhound – to and from Toronto! It wasn't that bad. I wouldn't do it again unless I had to but it was fine.
I have used the new station to take Greyhound. It was very convenient transferring from Metrolink to Greyhound, and then, on the return trip, transferring back from Greyhound to Metrolink.
Per the remark that Greyhound passengers look like they just got out of prison – that seems a little harsh. They looked like normal travelers to me. Also, I found the Greyhound bus comfortable and fast. If you have to go out of your way to do a transfer, that is going to slow you down. Otherwise, it takes about the same amount of time as driving.
I've used the train station to go to Chicago to watch an NBA Game…something no one seemingly wants in St. Louis.
As for the station itself…clean, quick, efficient and the train ride is a unique experience. Riding along the rails and looking back at the St. Louis skyline. It was beautiful. I was dropped off at the station so I didn't have to worry about parking.
Amtrak customers were normal people, a few were college age students on their way to Chicago to enjoy their spring break. It didn't seem anything like the greyhound crowd people run into.
Amtrak is a great service. There was food available and you could get up and walk about. The trip itself took about 5 hours, hopefully in the near future it can get shortened.
Pleasant trip. I agree with Janet though that there isn't any signage when you walk out of the doors, however I think if you decide to visit a city there are enough resources to be well prepared.
I've used the train station to go to Chicago to watch an NBA Game…something no one seemingly wants in St. Louis.
As for the station itself…clean, quick, efficient and the train ride is a unique experience. Riding along the rails and looking back at the St. Louis skyline. It was beautiful. I was dropped off at the station so I didn't have to worry about parking.
Amtrak customers were normal people, a few were college age students on their way to Chicago to enjoy their spring break. It didn't seem anything like the greyhound crowd people run into.
Amtrak is a great service. There was food available and you could get up and walk about. The trip itself took about 5 hours, hopefully in the near future it can get shortened.
Pleasant trip. I agree with Janet though that there isn't any signage when you walk out of the doors, however I think if you decide to visit a city there are enough resources to be well prepared.