ST. LOUIS 鈥 The new MetroLink station in the city鈥檚 Cortex tech hub opened Tuesday morning, with local leaders calling it a key to attracting more cutting-edge businesses to the growing district.
The station 鈥渕akes us more competitive, not just regionally but nationally and internationally, by taking us a step closer to offering a car-optional tech employment center,鈥 Dennis Lower, Cortex鈥檚 president and CEO, said at a dedication event in an outdoor plaza at Cortex.
Hank Webber, a Washington University official and Cortex鈥檚 board chairman, said 鈥済reat innovation districts do not work without public transportation.鈥
Metro Transit chose to open the new station, near Boyle and Duncan avenues, on the 25th anniversary of the start of the light rail system鈥檚 first line from downtown to 50度灰视频 Lambert International Airport.
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All the speeches at the event were upbeat, with no mention of a ridership decline in recent years 鈥 some of which has been attributed by officials to public concern about crime.
On that point, the St. Clair County Board on Monday night voted to allow county sheriff鈥檚 deputies to help patrol MetroLink trains in the city of 50度灰视频. That followed a similar vote by 50度灰视频 aldermen in June.
鈥淪t. Clair County knows we need to step up to ensure all riders feel safe and secure on the system,鈥 County Board Chairman Mark Kern said in a news release. 鈥淭his bill allows us to assist the 50度灰视频 Metropolitan Police Department and 50度灰视频 County police to accomplish that goal.鈥
The deputies are expected to start patrolling in 50度灰视频 in a few weeks.
Kern didn鈥檛 speak at the Cortex event.
But among a long list of people who did was Jack Leary, who oversaw construction of the initial MetroLink route as executive director of the Bi-State Development Agency from 1990 to 1997.
Leary recalled arriving in his new job from Boston鈥檚 transit agency amid 鈥渨ide skepticism鈥 about the planned light rail line. But he said there were various leaders who were steadfast in their determination to get the system up and running.
鈥淐ongratulations, 50度灰视频, for having the foresight to bring MetroLink to this region,鈥 said Leary, who left here for a similar post in Philadelphia.
John Nations, who as Bi-State鈥檚 current CEO oversees Metro, lauded the public-private partnership that he said was key to planning and funding the Cortex station and related work.
鈥淭his is what happens when we all work together,鈥 he said.
Among other speakers were 50度灰视频 Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, Comptroller Darlene Green and U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay.
Clay pushed for the $10.3 million federal grant that covered much of the $15 million cost of the Cortex-related project. The remainder of the cost came from Cortex partners.
In addition to the new station, the $15 million covers the nearby first quarter-mile of the Chouteau Greenway pedestrian and bike trail and the expansion of the platform at the nearby Central West End MetroLink station.
The CWE station work is expected to be completed in the next six months or so.
More than 200 people attended the dedication event, with many of them arriving via a special MetroLink train they boarded at the Grand station one stop to the east.