FY 2007 Annual Report

Transcription

FY 2007 Annual Report
Connecting
People With Places
2007 F I S CAL Y E AR AN N UAL R E P O RT
METRO’S MISSION
“Regional economic development through
excellence in transportation”
CONTENTS
PG/2
Message from the Chairman
PG/3
Board of Commissioners
PG/4
Stakeholders Letter
PG/7
Value to Our Region
PG/13
MetroBus
PG/17
MetroLink
PG/21
Metro Call-A-Ride
PG/23
Business Enterprises
PG/24
Financials
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/1
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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Message from the
Chairman
The Bi-State region has made a $1.6 billion
investment in transit infrastructure, and the
value of that investment can be seen each
day as area residents take 180,000 trips
on Metro.
What began as a bold experiment nearly
60 years ago when the U.S. Congress ratified
a compact between Missouri and Illinois,
establishing the Bi-State Development
Agency, continues to remain faithful to
its mission to drive “regional economic
development through excellence in
transportation.” Today, operating as Metro,
the Agency fills a vital role, connecting
people to employment centers, medical
and recreational facilities, and other key
destinations throughout the area. In doing so,
this year’s performance has been outstanding.
O U T S T A N D I N G R E S U LT S !
While Metro continues to reduce internal
costs, the staff works hard to improve service,
performance and above all, the customers’
commuting experience. From the front-line
transit professionals who operate our trains,
buses and vans, to the behind-the-scenes
support and technical staff, each of Metro’s
2,400 employees recognizes and embraces
the importance of providing quality transit
service to our region.
• Metro carried 54 million passengers,
representing an 8.5 percent system-wide
increase over the previous year.
• The Agency opened the Shrewsbury
I-44 MetroLink Branch and the new
Riverview-Hall MetroBus Transfer Center.
JEFFR EY WATSON
• MetroLink generated a 31.4 percent
increase in ridership over the last fiscal
year and, according to a recent report by
the American Public Transportation
Association, Metro operates the second
fastest growing light rail system in America,
right behind Denver, Colorado.
• Metro and the region saw the benefits of
Metro Redefined, the first total redesign of
the region’s transit services in nearly 40 years.
• Metro completed its fifth consecutive year of
a balanced budget without service cuts, and
the overall taxpayer subsidy per passenger
was reduced in Fiscal Year 2007 by 6.5 percent to an average of $2.30 per passenger,
despite the increase in expenses due to normal
inflation and the operation of the new eight
mile Shrewsbury I-44 MetroLink Branch.
STRONG SUPPORT!
The progress the Agency has achieved would
not have been possible without the support
JEFFR EY K. WATSON
CHAIRMAN
of our Illinois and Missouri stakeholders.
At the start of 2007, Metro projected a
$17 million transit operations deficit in
Fiscal Year 2008. In addition, Metro staff
identified $3 million in additional transit
service costs associated with the I-64
reconstruction project.
To avoid this crisis, Metro staff and regional,
state, civic and business leaders successfully
developed a strategy to address the Agency’s
budget shortfall. We owe much of our continued
success to the region’s leadership who made it
possible for transit service to continue without
interruption. Those measures included:
• The Missouri General Assembly approved
a Fuel Tax Exemption for Missouri’s
transit providers which Governor
Matt Blunt signed into law.
• Missouri and Illinois stakeholders who sit
on the Board of the East-West Gateway
Council of Governments allocated
$6 million in emergency funding to help
Metro cover transit expenses related to the
highway shut down.
• The Missouri Department of Transportation provided Metro with a $3 million
ridership incentive plan for the two years
of the reconstruction project.
On behalf of the Board of Commissioners
and staff of Metro, thank you for your
continued use and support of the region’s
mass transit system. Preserving what we’ve
built and looking toward future expansion
of our bus, rail and van service network is
key to our region’s economic future.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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KEVIN CAHILL
SECRETARY
MISSOURI
FONZY COLEMAN
ILLINOIS
DAVID DIETZEL
TREASURER
ILLINOIS
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
TADAS KICIELINSKI
ILLINOIS
DR. RICHARD LABORE
MISSOURI
LEWIS MCKINNEY, JR.
VICE CHAIRMAN
MISSOURI
DR . JAMES ROSBORG
ILLINOIS
VINCENT SCHOEMEHL
MISSOURI
Metro’s 10-member Board provides overall leadership and policy
direction for the Agency, and is comprised of five members from
Missouri and five from Illinois. In Missouri, members are selected
by the Governor from recommendations by the Mayor of the City
of St. Louis and the St. Louis County Executive. In Illinois, the
Chairman of the Board for both St. Clair and Madison Counties
appoints their representatives. Members of the Board serve their
5-year terms without compensation and must be a resident voter of
their state as well as reside within the Bi-State metropolitan region.
HUGH SCOTT III
MISSOURI
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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Message from the
Regional Stakeholders
Metro, the region’s public transportation
provider, has become a national model of
excellence and quality. Representatives from
transit systems across the United States
come to our region to learn how to replicate
Metro’s efficient maintenance and operations
programs. An additional source of pride is
the rapid growth of our MetroLink light
rail system. According to an October 2007
survey by the American Public Transportation
Association, the St. Louis area had the
second fastest growing light rail system in
America at that time.
CHAR LIE A. DOOLEY
ST. LOUIS COUNTY
EXECUTIVE
In Fiscal Year 2007, Metro celebrated several
other positive milestones. Chief among
these are the 54 million passenger boardings
reported on MetroBus, MetroLink and
Metro Call-A-Ride, making it clear that
mass transit has become a more popular
transportation choice for individuals who
live, work and play in our community.
Increasingly, people in our region are
making the decision to park their cars and
try transit. That makes the future of the
Metro system critical to the success of the
Bi-State area.
ALAN DUNSTAN
CHAIRMAN,
MADISON COUNTY BOARD
We invite you to review the accomplishments
of Fiscal Year 2007, and to join in the
regional discussion about the future of
public transit. As you take a look at the
contents of this Annual Report, we believe
you will share our pride in an award-winning
public transit system that helps to fuel the
regional economy and stimulate tourism
by connecting people to the important
destinations of their lives.
MAR K A. KER N
CHAIRMAN,
ST. CLAIR COUNTY BOARD
FRANCIS G. SLAY
MAYOR,
CITY OF ST. LOUIS
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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Metro brings
Value to Our Region
in North St. Louis City, provides convenience store services to Metro commuters.
In addition, it offers public restrooms, a
drinking fountain, climate-controlled
passenger waiting areas and an ATM.
“Metro has brought more life to this area,”
said Ahmad Nasser, Christy’s Metro
operator. “There was hardly anyone at
that corner before Metro came here.”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The direct benefits of public transportation
are obvious. Public transit connects people
with important destinations. Use of public
transit reduces traffic congestion and
improves air quality. But public transit
agencies like Metro do even more for their
communities. Transit spurs economic
development and promotes regional
stability and growth.
The Metro-Meridian Parking Facility
in Brentwood, Missouri is one example.
DCM Group owned property that Metro
was considering for customer parking and
a MetroBus transfer point. DCM Group
also needed parking for its Meridian Tower
office building tenants. The two organizations
collaborated to build the garage, which
opened in June 2007. Metro has approximately
two-thirds of the parking spaces and DCM
has the other third. “Both companies shared
in the construction costs and it has worked
great for everybody,” said Alan Skop,
president of DCM Group.
Metro’s presence also created interest in
new developments in areas such as Clayton,
MO. “The Trianon development is there
because of MetroLink,” said Catherine Powers,
Director of Planning and Development for
Clayton. “The developer anticipates heavy
MetroLink use from its residents, since the
station is directly across the street.”
Ahmad Nasser, convenience store owner,
welcomes a transit commuter to Christy's Metro.
CONTINUE D COMMITME NT TO
AR EA E MPLOYE R S
Powers added that Clayton’s Planning
Commission is considering overlay districts
in areas surrounding MetroLink stations.
These overlay districts have their own
zoning designations, require less parking
and feature easy transit access such as
sidewalks or plazas leading to stations.
Maplewood is another community that
realizes the economic impact of Metro. Since
the MetroLink station opened, Maplewood
has received many inquiries from developers
considering projects there. “MetroLink has
definitely had a positive impact in our
area,” said Rachelle L’Ecuyer, Director of
Community Development for the City of
Maplewood. “It’s gotten people’s attention.”
Metro has also had a positive impact on
smaller companies, like Christy’s Metro, a
convenience store at the Riverview-Hall
MetroBus Center. Christy’s Metro, located
Photo to the left: Metro-Meridan Parking Facility, Brentwood, MO
There was a time when all roads led
downtown. No more. The downtown
St. Louis business district continues to be
joined by centers of employment and
commerce throughout the region. When
employers seek to build or maintain a workforce, they know one of their competitive
advantages will be easy access to the work
location. Since its beginning, Metro has
been an important partner in that pursuit.
This year the Agency continued to provide
critical transit options in the face of the
area’s largest reconstruction project to date.
Long before the I-64/40 reconstruction
project got underway, Metro committed to
expanding service options for those who
would be most severely impacted. The
agency examined existing bus routes, and
began discussions with area schools and
businesses to create the best possible solutions.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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Value to Our Region continued
Metro’s plans included traveling farther
southwest to the Pacific area, expanding
bus service in West St. Louis County,
creating better connectivity with downtown
St. Louis via I-44, and creating better
connections to employment centers like
St. Luke’s, St. John’s, Delmar Gardens,
Woodlake Office Park in Chesterfield,
Anheuser-Busch, Ameren UE, Wachovia,
Sigma Aldrich, MSD and the National
Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Metro also presented area businesses with
the opportunity to offer its transit benefit
program, known as PERC (Partial Expense
Reduction for Commuters). PERC helps
employers save money on payroll taxes by
enabling them to sell transit passes on a
pre-tax basis. Participating employees also
reap the financial benefits of reduced taxable
incomes. In addition to saving employers
and employees money, PERC customers
saw an opportunity to use commute time
for reading and other productive activities.
More than 100 local employers of varying
sizes are making nearly 7,000 monthly
transit passes available to their PERC program
participants. Chris Marchioro, Manager of
HR Business Services for Ameren, was
instrumental in getting his company signed
Chris Marchioro, Manager of HR Business
Services for Ameren, helps employees take
advantage of public transportation.
up for PERC. "We had a group of employees
already using transit who were asking us to
make the PERC program available," notes
Marchioro. “With I-64 scheduled to be
closed, we decided the time was right. We
signed up, making Metro passes available
to employees on a pre-tax basis and also
subsidizing the cost of the monthly passes
by 50 percent."
Marchioro says, “Our employees are
thrilled to have this in place, and reducing
the number of commuters on the roadways
is in line with our company's overall
commitment to the environment.”
Additional PERC customers include
Barnes Jewish Hospital, Commerce Bank,
Enterprise Leasing, and many small and
mid-size organizations like Finninger’s
Catering Services and Delmar Gardens West.
SPECIAL EVENTS DRIVE METRO
RIDERSHIP EVEN HIGHER
Routes added early in 2007 include service
to the popular Chesterfield Commons retail
center in Chesterfield Valley.
Daily commuters comprise the vast majority
of Metro riders, but there is also a significant
group of commuters who count on MetroBus
and MetroLink for special occasions. From
sporting events and conventions to the
Komen Race for the Cure, the St. Louis
area saw no shortage of special events in
the last year, and Metro was the way to go
for many participants. Metro boarded
nearly 1.9 million special event riders in
FY 2007.
Metro makes getting to and from the
games part of the fun for many St. Louis
sports fans. MetroLink and MetroBus
service to Busch Stadium, the Edward Jones
Dome and Scottrade Center enable fans to
sit back and enjoy the ride, avoiding both
game day traffic and parking expenses.
Brian Hall, Chief Marketing Officer for the
St. Louis CVC, pictured at the CVC’s new Visitor’s Center at Lambert St. Louis International
Airport, where arriving passengers frequently
request information on how they can use
MetroLink to get around St. Louis.
Metro also helped convention goers get
around town during FY 2007. Many visitors
to St. Louis used the two Lambert Airport
MetroLink stations to connect to Clayton
and downtown St. Louis hotels, and both
bus and rail provided out-of-town guests
with a direct link to area shopping,
recreation, dining and many other
popular St. Louis tourist attractions.
Brian Hall, Chief Marketing Officer
for the St. Louis Convention & Visitors
Commission, says Metro is an asset when
working to attract visitors to the area.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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Value to Our Region continued
“MetroLink offers St. Louis yet another
competitive advantage in attracting large
meetings and events to the region,” Hall
states. “Meeting planners and attendees are
impressed by the convenience, comfort and
cost of the service, and have come to rely on
MetroLink to move their groups between
the airport and area hotels, restaurants and
meeting venues.”
METRO SECURITY
To help ensure the security of its customers,
employees and property, Metro uses a
combination of professional law enforcement
and advanced technology to protect the
region’s transit system.
The newest addition to the Metro
Security team is the Mobile Command
Center. In an emergency, the new Command
Center allows security officers to work more
efficiently with local law enforcement,
emergency responders and contracted
security staff. The vehicle also serves as a
back up to Metro’s Communications
Center and is outfitted with surveillance,
computer and wireless capabilities.
The Mobile Command Center, a
recycled MetroBus completely refurbished
by Metro employees, features seven
monitors and a satellite feed, allowing
security personnel to access news broadcasts
both locally and nationally. The security
staff also has the capability to remotely view
any of the Closed Circuit TV cameras within
the Metro System. It has capacity for six to
eight officers to work inside the vehicle, and
has three radio workstations that allow for
visual and audio communications with all
buses and trains, Metro Security and other
emergency responders.
The Mobile Command Center was
made possible through a $1.1 million dollar
transit security grant awarded by the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security.
Metro’s Security Department also
expanded the role of its officers to include
a Security Transit Service Manager (TSM).
The first Metro facility to benefit from
having an on-site Security TSM was the
Riverview-Hall MetroBus Transfer Center.
The function of the Security TSM is to
assist customers, provide additional security
presence and support MetroBus operators
at various locations. This concept will be
expanded to other MetroBus Transfer
Centers in FY 2008.
C U S TO M E R S E R V I C E I N FY 2 0 07
Metro’s Customer Service Department is
both high-touch and high-tech in its efforts
to assist the region’s public transportation
commuters. Customer interest and inquiries
grew significantly with the opening of the
new Shrewsbury I-44 MetroLink Branch.
Customer Service Representatives answered
551,774 telephone customer calls in FY
2007. In addition, as more customers turn
to the Internet and e-mail, Metro staff
responded to 9,599 customer e-mails, a
22.22 percent increase over FY 2006.
Photo to the left: The new Metro-Meridian Parking Facility, with more than 900 free parking
spaces for Metro customers, introduced a whole new audience to the Metro system during the
Komen Foundation’s 2007 “St. Louis Race for the Cure.”
Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,
Metro staffs Transit Information lines to assist
customers with questions about using the
Metro system.
The Shrewsbury I-44 MetroLink
Branch opening led to the opening of a
second MetroRide Center at the Clayton
MetroLink Station and Clayton MetroBus
Transfer Center. Clayton’s MetroRide
Center staff recorded 18,609 transactions
during the first eleven months of operation.
The Downtown and Clayton MetroRide
Centers together generated pass and ticket
sales of $1,769,705.
Customer Service also improved its
automated systems, giving customers 24/7
access to transit information. More than
580 rider alerts on the Metro website gave
customers information about planned or
emergency changes in MetroLink or
MetroBus service. In FY 2007, visits to the
Metro Alert pages averaged nearly 35,000
web visits per month. The on-line trip
planning software – TripFinder – averaged
over 59,000 web visits each month
compared to almost 36,000 per month
in FY 2006.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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The Clayton MetroBus Center connects MetroLink to seven MetroBus routes.
93
.5%
on-time
performance
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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MetroBus
The final phase of Metro Redefined is complete, successfully
improving the design, performance and quality of
Metro’s integrated bus, rail and van system.
METRO REDEFINED
During FY 2007, Metro Redefined
dramatically enhanced the system’s efficiency
by expanding MetroBus service and increasing
frequency on several routes across the region.
Some of the most significant route modifications include expanding service from MidCounty and North County to downtown,
introducing the Kirkwood/Webster Shuttle,
which serves the Sunnen MetroLink Station,
and expanding service from West County to
connect to the Brentwood I-64 MetroLink
Station. Metro also added weekend service
to South County, new 15-minute express
service to downtown, built a new MetroBus
park-ride lot located at the Riverview-Hall
MetroBus Transfer Center and began serving
park-ride lots at the South County Education
Center, Hoods at Halls Ferry and Richardson
Roads in Jefferson County.
This fiscal year saw the implementation
of the Universal Pass program, which
ON-TIME PERFORMANCE
93.5%
91.8%
91.2%
90.1%
89.1%
FY/03
FY/04
FY/05
FY/06
FY/07
provides access to public transportation for
Washington University students, faculty
and full-time employees. In FY 2007,
Washington University pass holders took
nearly 2 million rides on Metro. According to
a Washington University survey, 45 percent
of those pass holders said they used the
Metro pass weekly.
The opening of the Shrewsbury I-44
MetroLink Branch completed the final
phase of Metro Redefined, a three-year
transit operations effort that successfully
improved the design, performance and
quality of Metro’s integrated bus, rail and
van system. This concerted effort is a result
of the exceptional work and progress that
Metro staff and employees have made to
improve the system’s reliability and to enhance the region’s public transit experience.
M E T R O B U S O P E R AT I O N S
During FY 2007, Metro implemented
system-wide route and schedule adjustments
to better meet the commuter demand. With
these modifications, MetroBus on-time
performance ranked among the best in the
industry, averaging 93.5 percent for the
fiscal year. In addition, MetroBus operators’
safe driving practices resulted in only two
accidents per 100,000 miles, another
benchmark ranking among the best in the
country. Customer complaints dropped
nearly 14 percent per 100,000 boardings
KELLY M., METRO CUSTOMER
“The ongoing improvements that Metro is making to both the MetroBus system and
MetroLink have enabled me to participate more fully in the entire St. Louis community.”
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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MetroBus continued
and MetroBus traveled 17,307 miles
between road calls.
And during this period, Metro celebrated
the grand opening of the Riverview-Hall
MetroBus Transfer Center. The transfer
center provides more transportation options
for citizens of North St. Louis City and
County, offering a lighted bus loop with
eight bus bays, a canopy-covered passenger
platform, an information kiosk and a
45-space commuter parking lot, the first
MetroBus park-ride lot to serve the North
St. Louis area. The inside of the facility has
a climate-controlled passenger waiting area,
public and operator restrooms and a
convenience store.
The Riverview-Hall MetroBus Transfer
Center provides MetroBus service for eight
North St. Louis City and County routes.
METRO ACCESSIBLE
BUS STOP PR OJECT
In FY 2007, Metro initiated a major effort
to improve the accessibility of its bus stops.
The Agency evaluated over 9,000 Missouri
REVENUE MILES BETWEEN ROADCALLS
17,307
17,191
16,184
15,457
12,878
FY/03
FY/04
FY/05
FY/06
FY/07
bus stops and identified those stops most
in need of improvement. Metro launched
an education and coordination campaign
designed to encourage the improvement
of bus stops and sidewalks throughout
the St. Louis region. In May 2007, Metro
and the East-West Gateway Council of
Governments hosted an informational
workshop to promote bus stop accessibility
and share information on bus stop location
and accessibility with local governments,
private firms, Missouri Department of
Transportation, the City of St. Louis,
and St. Louis County.
As a result of this effort, progress is
being made to construct bus stops which
meet ADA standards. Over the past several
years, Metro has made other improvements
in the accessibility of its services. The
MetroBus and Call-A-Ride fleets are
equipped with lifts to accommodate
passengers using wheelchairs and other
mobility devices, and MetroLink stations
and light rail vehicles are fully accessible.
A L L E V I AT I N G C O N G E S T I O N
In preparation for the I-64 shutdown,
Metro conducted public meetings to
discuss with commuters proposed service
enhancements along the I-64 corridor.
As a result, the Agency made significant
improvements to accommodate those
who might consider parking their cars
and trying transit.
Metro also received a $3 million
grant from the Missouri Department of
Transportation to promote the transit
system and educate new riders over
the next two years.
17,307
miles between
road calls
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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22
Million
passengers
boarded
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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MetroLink
The number of commuters using MetroLink skyrocketed in FY 2007.
Commuters boarded the light rail transit system nearly 22 million
times during the year, or five million more than in FY 2006.
M E T R O L I N K T O D AY
Already trending upward for the last several
years, the number of commuters using
MetroLink continues to rise. Commuters
came aboard the region’s light rail transit
system nearly 22 million times during the
year. That’s five million more passenger
boardings than the light rail system
handled in FY 2006.
The continued building of system
ridership can be attributed to variables
beyond fuel prices and traffic congestion.
The most exciting development contributing
to the sharp rise in ridership has been the
mass appeal of the transit system’s new
MetroLink extension. The eight-mile
extension with nine new stations opened
to enthusiastic crowds on August 26, 2006,
and now provides light rail access to more
employment centers, medical complexes,
schools, entertainment and shopping venues.
The extension, called the Shrewsbury I-44
METROLINK ANNUAL BOARDINGS
(IN MILLIONS)
21.8
16.6
15.6
14.8
14.5
FY/03
FY/04
FY/05
FY/06
FY/07
MetroLink Branch, connects the Lambert
Airport MetroLink Branch to University
City, Clayton, Richmond Heights,
Brentwood, Maplewood and Shrewsbury.
The extension not only serves the region by
carrying passengers to destinations along the
new portion of the alignment, but also
provides residents in those communities
with rail access to key destinations including
Lambert St. Louis International Airport,
downtown St. Louis and Illinois.
In comparison with other St. Louis area
light rail projects, including the Illinois
extension and the original Phase One
segment, the total usage on MetroLink
including the Shrewsbury I-44 MetroLink
Branch exceeds Metro’s previous experience
for early total ridership. In fact, current
ridership patterns demonstrate that average
daily boardings could exceed the 2025
annual projection of 83,105 passengers
after just two full years of operation.
System reliability also contributes to
the popularity of MetroLink. Through
preventative maintenance and safe operation
of the system, Metro employees provide one
of the nation’s most dependable light rail
systems. Employees delivered an impressive
20 percent improvement in the critical
“Vehicle Miles per Failure” measurement.
On-time performance, already an impressive
97.5 percent, rose to 98.5 percent this
fiscal year.
KAR EN S., METRO CUSTOMER
“I currently take three buses and MetroLink. I save gas money and it is downtime on my
way to work in both Clayton and downtown. I need my downtime. It’s very therapeutic and
I get a lot of cross-stitching done!”
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
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MetroLink continued
To attract even more riders to the system,
Metro added new Park-Ride options in
Shrewsbury, Brentwood and Clayton, making
MetroLink more accessible to commuters
near I-44 and I-64. There are now nearly
10,000 free parking spaces at Metro
Park-Ride lots connected to MetroLink
in Missouri and Illinois, plus an additional
800 spaces available at the Clayton
MetroLink Station for customers using a
specially priced Metro Transit/Parking pass.
Metro also opened its second MetroRide
Customer Service Center at the Clayton
MetroLink Station. This full-service customer
center offers a one-stop shop for Metro
schedules, tickets and passes.
P R E PA R I N G F O R T H E F U T U R E
While the region celebrates the success of
the newly expanded system, Metro also
focused on critical repairs and upgrades to
AN AWAR D WI N N I NG SYSTE M
A sample of awards won by the Metro Construction
Group (MCG) during construction of the Cross
County MetroLink Extension
Build America Award –
Highway and New Construction
Associated General Contractors of America
National Recognition Award for
Engineering Excellence
American Council of Engineering Companies
MetroLink. The upgrades provided added
reliability, safety and comfort to a system
already working well.
The design phase for a new pocket track
east of the Fairview Heights MetroLink
Station began. Pocket tracks provide space
to turn trains. The new pocket track in
Fairview Heights, Illinois will be similar
to the one currently in place near the
Emerson Park MetroLink Station. The
new track will allow Metro to extend the
operation of the Shrewsbury I-44
MetroLink Branch beyond the Emerson
Park MetroLink Station to Fairview
Heights. The design phase for this project
is complete and construction is scheduled
for completion by the end of 2008.
A new electrical substation, providing
power to MetroLink trains, was installed
near Union Station this fiscal year. The
power station adds to the reliability of
the system by providing another source
of electricity in the downtown St. Louis
core area.
The system will also gain more
flexibility in the core area it serves due to
the installation of remote control track
switches and signalization near Busch
Stadium. Construction, which began in
FY 2007, is expected to be complete
in FY 2008.
The original rails in the system also saw
improvement. Phase One of MetroLink
opened in 1993 and highway grade crossing
surfaces needed to be replaced at most
MetroLink grade crossings between the
Grand and Wellston MetroLink Stations.
These improvements along with a trackresurfacing project from Forest Park to 5th
& Missouri provide improved ride quality.
The remaining Phase One track structure
will be improved in FY 2008.
Grand Conceptor Award for
Engineering Excellence
American Council of Engineering Companies
Construction Keystone Award
Project of the Year in General ContractorConstruction Manager Industrial/
Infrastructure Projects
Associated General Contractors of St. Louis
Best Practices Award for
Materials Management
St. Louis Council of Construction Consumers
Construction Keystone Award
Project of the Year in Specialty ContractorsBuilding Projects over $2 Million
Associated General Contractors of St. Louis
Regional Excellence Infrastructure and Station Finishes
St. Louis Construction News and Real Estate
Quality Concrete Award
Missouri Chapter Concrete Council
98
.5%
on-time performance
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/19
ARTS IN TRANSIT
The attractiveness of the new MetroLink
extension drew applause from the art
community and the community at large.
The Aluminum Silhouette Panels (shown on
page 18), designed by St. Louis artisans
Andy Cross with Carl Harris and Tai Tessmer,
adorn the Catlin Wall along Forest Park
Parkway, demonstrating that necessary
architectural structures can also be made
beautiful. It is one of 6 pieces of artwork
by artists with national and international
reputations dedicated in October 2006. They
now join other pieces of art residing throughout the transit system. In addition to the
pieces fixed in the Metro infrastructure,
Metro Arts in Transit also puts art on the
road through art buses. Sponsored by both
public and private organizations around the
region, Metro held 6 bus painting events in
FY 2007 and has 6 art buses currently
operating in the MetroBus fleet.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/20
Metro Call-A-Ride Operator, Sharon Richmond, ensures that her customers are secure when boarding Call-A-Ride vans.
660,000
passenger boardings
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/21
Metro Call-A-Ride
Metro customers with disabilities experienced significant
service improvements, enabling them to use the transit system
more independently and efficiently.
CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
ADA SERVICES
Last summer, Metro’s ADA (Americans
with Disabilities Act) Services Department
initiated a Travel Training Program to teach
people with disabilities how to use MetroBus
and MetroLink fixed-route services.
A customized one-on-one evaluation
focuses on each person’s individual skill
level and needs. Training continues until
the person can demonstrate the skills
necessary to independently use Metro’s
fixed-route services for a particular destination. In FY 2007, six qualified instructors
trained more than 160 customers.
METRO CALL-A-RIDE
Customers who use Metro Call-A-Ride
now have a considerably shorter wait time
when calling to schedule a trip. In April
2007, Metro implemented a new automated scheduling and dispatch system for
49.88
22.14
21.06
13.80
14.50
FY/03
FY/04
FY/05
FY/06
FY/07
Call-A-Ride that has significantly improved
the trip-booking process. As a result, a
customer’s telephone wait time has been
reduced by 27%. Call-A-Ride reservationists
and customer assistance representatives
handled more than 441,000 telephone
calls in FY 2007.
The availability of vehicles grew
significantly at the end of the fiscal year.
Six new vans were added to the fleet in the
fourth quarter, allowing Metro to better
respond to the demand for service.
Customers have recognized these service
enhancements, and the result has been a
sharp decline in customer complaints.
Call-A-Ride complaints, as shown in the
chart on this page, are down from the
previous fiscal year and are only 30% of
what they were five years ago.
During this time period, Metro provided
5.95 million miles of Call-A-Ride service.
Due to improved efficiency in scheduling,
the Agency maintained its ridership level
while reducing miles traveled.
In FY 2007, 663,869 passengers
boarded Call-A-Ride; about the same as last
fiscal year. This averaged 2,320 customer
boardings each weekday. More than 90% of
the riders were ADA-eligible customers who
have some form of disability recognized
under the ADA.
MAR LENE H., METRO CUSTOMER
“I use Metro on a daily basis, and I consider it to be an asset to the general public,
as well as people who are physically challenged.”
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/22
CAPTAIN ROB AKINS, ULTIMATE JET
“The Airport is a perfect location for our customers! This is a first class facility for us to use,
and a great place to spend the day. We avoid traffic and have all the necessary conveniences
that a pilot demands.”
St. Louis Downtown Airport is the
3rd busiest airport
in Illinois;
2nd busiest
in the St. Louis region
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/23
Business Enterprises
Over the last few years, America’s National Parks have experienced a
steady decline in visitor attendance. In FY 2007, the Gateway Arch
Riverfront initiated several projects aimed at reversing this trend.
G AT E WAY A R C H R I V E R F R O N T
In January 2007, the Gateway Arch Riverfront
launched a completely redesigned website. The
new www.gatewayarch.com is designed to
provide users logical navigation to find the
information they need to plan their visit to
the Gateway Arch Riverfront. It offers guests
highly upgraded visuals with new photography
and a uniform feel to our expanding campus
offerings, which now include Gateway Arch
Bike Rentals and Gateway Air Tours in
addition to its established enterprises.
In Spring 2007, the Gateway Arch began
its first master plan for signage in and around
the park. The plan is designed to better inform
Gateway Arch guests during their visit by providing uniformity and clarity in signage design and placement. Project goals include
lengthening the time spent by guests,
improving the synergy of the park with the
city and building stronger regional awareness
of the park. Implementation of the plan’s
findings will begin in FY 2008.
Beginning in FY 2006, potential upgrades
to the Gateway Arch Transportation System
were proposed to improve the guest experience.
In FY 2007, prototypes for two of the suggested upgrades were completed. The eight
capsules that transport guests to the top of the
Arch are not air-conditioned. To combat the
extremely hot St. Louis summer, an air circulation system was designed and prototyped for
one of the capsules. Additionally, the same
capsule was outfitted with prototype doors
containing much larger windows. The larger
windows provide guests with a vastly improved
view of the interior of the Gateway Arch as they
ride to the top. The success of these prototypes
will lead to full implementation of these
improvements by the end of next fiscal year.
G AT E WAY A R C H R I V E R B O AT S
The Gateway Arch Riverboats continued to
be a popular venue for guests who enjoy
dinner cruises and private charters aboard
the Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. The
Friday Late Night Cruises, sponsored by
Clear Channel Radio, also proved to be a
hit, selling out every week throughout the
season. This year, Blues Cruises more than
doubled the number of passengers. In the
spring, Metro introduced a monthly
Sunday Brunch Cruise, paving the way for
other new markets such as Gospel Cruises
for the upcoming season.
Another feature of the Gateway Arch
Riverboats is the Arch View Café. The Café
provides a dining opportunity for guests
visiting the Riverfront and Riverboats and
continues to expand its menu options.
Throughout the year, the Riverboats catering
staff made special arrangements to prepare
over 6,000 pre-ordered lunches for groups
visiting the Gateway Arch Riverfront.
S T. L O U I S D O W N T O W N A I R P O R T
St. Louis Downtown Airport continued to be
the third busiest airport in Illinois and was
ranked the 42nd busiest general aviation airport
in the nation. Though skyrocketing cost of
fuel adversely affected airport operations,
resulting in an 18 percent decline in the
number of takeoffs and landings, revenue
from fuel sales remained steady due to
more frequent use by larger aircraft. Steady
fuel sales coupled with expansion of tenant
ground leases enabled airport revenues and
income to post double-digit increases for
the fiscal year.
Airport growth remained strong
throughout the year. New facilities for
A&S Helicopters and Midcoast Aviation
are under construction and the new
$7.3 million federally-funded Federal
Aviation Administration traffic control
tower is ahead of schedule and due to open
in June 2008. Midcoast completed a new
145,000-square-foot Boeing 737-capable
maintenance hangar in April 2007. As a
result of an incentive package developed
through unprecedented cooperation among
state and local entities, earthwork began on
an even larger Boeing 757-capable facility
expected to be operational in 2008.
ANOTH E R S IGN I F ICANT M I LE STON E
In March, Airport Director Bob McDaniel
was honored for outstanding leadership
during Aviation Industry Week at the
National Air Transportation Association
(NATA) 2007 Leadership Conference.
NATA recognizes one airport manager each
year with the Airport Executive Partnership
Award for excellence in nurturing the partnership between the airport and its tenants.
METRO 2007 FISCAL YEAR ANNUAL REPORT
PG/24
Financials
METRO TRANSIT
2007
ARCH TRAM SYSTEM
2006
2007
2006
40,213,115
$ 5,426,935
$ 5,547,644
2,265,482
2,238,480
29,120
25,453
47,016,136
42,451,595
5,456,055
5,573,097
117,832,732
117,509,340
1,090,508
1,088,471
Materials and supplies
25,211,324
24,020,376
149,273
170,725
Services
20,733,284
17,047,868
767,584
733,762
6,136,126
6,804,223
44,809
38,138
1,060,899
1,060,900
635,200
682,963
Electricity, telephone, leases, & other general expenses
11,226,056
9,586,075
539,916
573,326
Depreciation and amortization
77,497,004
73,437,551
451,645
512,383
Total expenses
259,697,425
249,466,333
3,678,935
3,799,768
Operating income (loss)
(212,681,289)
(207,014,738)
1,777,120
1,773,329
120,257,510
82,778,545
(296,438)
224,014
(92,423,779)
(124,236,193)
1,480,682
1,997,343
35,056,965
39,215,488
-
-
-
518,175
-
(193,896)
Change in net assets
(57,366,814)
(84,502,530)
1,480,682
1,803,447
Total net assets prior year
930,364,316
1,014,866,846
9,977,085
8,173,639
$ 872,997,502
$ 930,364,316
$ 11,457,767
$ 9,977,086
O P E R AT I N G R E V E N U E S
Passenger and service revenues
Other
Total operating revenues
$
44,750,654
$
O P E R AT I N G E X P E N S E S
Wages and benefits
Casualty and liability costs
Interfund administrative charges
Total non-operating revenues (expenses)
Income (Loss) before contributions and transfers
Capital contributions
Transfers in (out)
Total net assets current year
Please refer to www.metrostlouis.org > Inside Metro > Annual Reports > Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for a complete set of the 2007 audited financial reports.
Certificate of Achievement for
Excellence in Financial Reporting
presented by the Government Finance Officer Association
of the United States and Canada
ARCH
PA R K I N G FA C I L I T Y
R I V E R F R O N T AT T R A C T I O N S
S T. L O U I S
D OWNTOWN AI R P ORT
AGENCY
2007
2006
2007
2006
2007
2006
2007
$ 1,883,355
$ 1,800,694
$ 2,894,217
$ 3,173,495
$ 1,195,242
$ 1,072,174
2,704
4,899
63,790
63,753
205,494
200,348
2,545,657
2,671,168
1,886,059
1,805,593
2,958,007
3,237,248
1,400,736
1,272,522
2,545,657
2,671,168
361,024
370,347
1,238,833
1,359,274
457,996
480,695
1,462,186
1,450,864
20,440
32,419
709,000
787,598
108,553
100,818
19,041
121,421
423,410
410,187
261,295
263,002
82,371
88,506
757,097
743,122
33,954
35,165
154,011
172,026
76,894
86,982
-
-
150,885
180,559
143,925
161,099
70,037
63,672
-
-
52,778
60,877
289,898
316,858
201,246
153,597
205,974
260,378
450,953
464,522
291,490
267,266
783,273
1,141,183
7,783
4,348
1,493,444
1,554,076
3,088,452
3,327,123
1,780,370
2,115,453
2,452,081
2,580,133
392,615
251,517
(130,445)
(89,875)
(379,634)
(842,931)
93,576
91,035
(142,156)
(188,177)
13,890
(370)
37,769
21,051
18,609
13,324
250,459
63,340
(116,555)
(90,245)
(341,865)
(821,880)
112,185
104,359
-
-
-
254,907
17,961
353,449
-
-
-
(76,220)
-
55,055
-
56,499
-
(359,613)
250,459
(12,880)
(116,555)
219,717
(323,904)
(411,932)
112,185
(255,254)
1,148,713
1,161,594
3,684,232
3,464,515
13,691,182
14,103,112
165,942
421,196
$ 1,399,172
$ 1,148,714
$ 3,567,677
$ 3,684,232
$13,367,278
$ 13,691,180
278,127
$ 165,942
$
$
-
2006
$
-
Metro’s Environmental Initiatives
In FY 2007, Metro continued to demonstrate its commitment to
the environment. With ridership at record levels, Metro is making
it possible for growing numbers of area commuters to do their
share for clean air. A recent national study shows that using public
transportation can reduce carbon dioxide emissions up to 30 percent. But Metro isn’t relying on its passengers alone to help protect
our environment; the Agency is making transit an even more
environmentally friendly alternative through a series of practices
that help to ensure the vehicles carrying its passengers are also
contributing to cleaner air in our region.
Metro has minimized overall fleet emissions by running
30 percent of its fleet on renewable biofuels and compressed
natural gas, which are much cleaner fuels and help to
reduce dependence on foreign oil. Metro currently
displaces 646,000 gallons of conventional diesel fuel
annually by using these alternatives.
All vehicles are regularly checked for maintenance and emissions
problems and, if one is not operating or emitting properly, it is
removed from service. Metro plans on furthering its environmental
stewardship in the coming years with the addition of its 2007,
2008 and 2009 vehicles. These vehicles will be 90 percent cleaner
than the 2004 models.
Metro also is committed to reducing solid waste, increasing the
use of recyclables, and using environmentally friendly paints and
cleaning products on its vehicles. In addition, Metro works with
major employers in the St. Louis region to help establish transit
programs at their worksites in order to make transit a more
attractive option for their employees. These work-based
programs are helping to fuel Metro’s record ridership,
and will go a long way toward helping to relieve traffic
congestion and related air pollution during the I-64
reconstruction project in the years to come.
Thanks to Warren Stemme for access to his
soybean farm in Maryland Heights, MO.
Soybeans are a major ingredient in
alternative fuels used by Metro.
707 NORTH FIR ST STR EET
ST. LOUIS, MO 63102-2595
WWW.METROSTLOUIS.ORG
PHONE: 314.982.1400