Grand Opening

Metro Celebrated the Grand Opening of the Cross County MetroLink On August 26th! Here's a list of the special events that were associated with the big day:

"EVERYONE CAN RIDE" DAY
Tuesday, August 15th 1-6 p.m.

"Everyone Can Ride" Day was an orientation day for members of the ADA community. Persons with disabilities and organizations who serve this audience were invited to visit the new MetroLink stations along the Cross County alignment. Metro personnel were on hand to identify the accessible entrances and explain how to use the system from these new locations.

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION
Saturday, August 26th 11 a.m. –2 p.m.

To welcome this exciting new addition to the MetroLink system, we held a Grand Opening Ceremony and Celebration on Saturday, August 26th. The ceremony began at 11 a.m. when the first train left the Forest Park-DeBaliviere Station and began making its way through the alignment. The ceremony continued with a sequential ribbon cutting and brief speeches as the train pulled into each Cross County station. A short list of elected officials and honored guests then boarded the first train at their respective stations and made their way to Shrewsbury. Trains continued to serve these stations and many guests later arrived at the celebration via train.

Once at Shrewsbury, the celebration kicked-off with speeches by some of the area’s top government officials, who paid special recognition to those who have worked hard to deliver this Project to the region.

LINKFEST! LET THE FUN BEGIN…
Saturday, August 26th 2-8 p.m.

Neighborhood organizations in the City of St. Louis and Shrewsbury planned LinkFest—a celebration of the "coming together" of the many municipalities along the Cross County alignment. LinkFest was a family-friendly event that began immediately after Metro’s Grand Opening Celebration on August 26th and concluded with fireworks at 8:00 p.m. It was held in the public green space located just south of the Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 station. Along with live music, refreshments and games, area businesses had booths with information and samples so the community got a taste of the new attractions we can now reach by riding MetroLink. Municipalities along the Cross County Project were also represented. Many people turned out for this exciting event. Free trains were in operation between Forest Park and Shrewsbury until 10 p.m.

WELCOME ABOARD WEEKEND
Saturday, August 26th and Sunday August 27th

Since many local citizens were itching for an additional peek at the Cross County Extension, rides were free during "Welcome Aboard Weekend" from approximately 12:15-10 p.m. on Saturday and on Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Those who took advantage of the weekend saw first-hand why this new extension moves Metro into the forefront of America’s public transportation systems.

ARTS IN TRANSIT ART DEDICATION
Sunday, October 1st 2-5 p.m.

Arts-in-Transit staff provided guided tours of the new art projects along the Cross County alignment on Sunday, October 1st. These escorted train tours left from the Forsyth Station and presented many art fans with a first-hand look at the intriguing designs that add beauty to the MetroLink system.