MetroLink launched a new pilot program Saturday to test single-car trains. The program will run in phases through next Spring, with the first phase impacting one train on the Blue and Red over the next two weeks.
However RAISE Transit, a St. Louis-based transit advocacy group, says the program doesn’t take into account passengers who could be affected by the change. Robyn Wallen, a representative with RAISE, said riders with vision disabilities would be reliant on announcements made by MetroLink drivers to signal which trains only have one car. She said that’s a concern for visually-impaired riders, who say MetroLink speakers often don’t work and drivers don’t always make timely announcements.
The pilot program mirrors one MetroLink ran in 2023. Before a meeting between the two groups two weeks ago, MetroLink said the new program is necessary because a comprehensive report was never made after the 2023 program. Wallen said passengers who took part in that program say it “didn’t go very well.”…