Loop Trolley’s Possible Bi-State Takeover Moves Forward
Date Posted: December 11, 2019
Posted In: News, Organizations,
From St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The executive board of Bi-State Development voted Tuesday, despite fierce opposition, to negotiate a possible takeover of the financially strapped Loop Trolley.
CEO Taulby Roach pitched operating the trolley for the next four years with nearly $1.1 million left over from federal grants, and said he had preliminary approval from federal transit officials.
“Being known as a region that does not have the political will to complete projects is a very damaging assessment,” Roach told the board.
The Bi-State board, which governs MetroLink and Metro buses, voted 6-3 to approve Roach’s request and have him return to the board by February with a more detailed proposal to take over the trolley from its nonprofit operator, the Loop Trolley Co.
The 2.2-mile streetcar line, which links the western end of the Delmar Loop commercial area in University City and the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, is set to close Dec. 29 after a series of operational and financial setbacks. Operators say more funding is needed to keep the trolley open until spring, when they hope all three cars could provide full seven-day service.
Closure could mean defaulting on some of the $36 million in federal aid that was part of the $51 million needed to build the line and make related street improvements. Roach said default would jeopardize Bi-State’s ability to secure federal transit dollars in the future.
“That is a dangerous circumstance and we should consider that,” he said.
Roach had planned to submit the preliminary report to the board in a closed session, following advice from the board’s legal counsel, but the board voted to keep the discussion open to the public after fervent opposition from board members Justin Zimmerman and Derrick Cox.