Green Line (St. Louis MetroLink)

Green Line (MetroLink)

Company type	Proposed transit line
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	2000 (concept identified)
Headquarters	St. Louis , United States
Area served	St. Louis, Missouri
Products	Light rail transit service
Parent	Metro Transit (St. Louis)

The Green Line represents a proposed addition to the MetroLink light rail network in St. Louis, Missouri. This new north–south corridor will operate primarily at street level with exclusive lanes for trains and will become the system’s third transit line.

History

The concept of a north/south MetroLink route was initially identified in a 2000 study conducted by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments. The study outlined a northern locally preferred alternative (LPA) connecting downtown St. Louis to St. Louis Community College–Florissant Valley with an estimated cost of $485.5 million, alongside a southern LPA linking downtown to Cross County Segment 2 utilizing existing rail and busway paths. Although these proposals did not advance beyond preliminary evaluations, they provided foundational insights for subsequent development.

In 2008, East-West Gateway staff recommended three distinct LPAs: a northern alignment extending from 14th Street to Goodfellow Boulevard near I-70, a central downtown couplet along 9th and 10th streets, and a southern alignment running from 14th Street to Bayless via Jefferson Avenue and I-55. However, following the rejection of Proposition M by St. Louis County voters in November 2008, all plans for MetroLink expansion were put on hold.

The passage of Proposition 1 by St. Louis City voters in 2017 introduced a half-cent sales tax projected to generate roughly $12 million annually dedicated to MetroLink growth. In 2018, East-West Gateway presented an updated north/south LPA that would run between North Grand Boulevard and Chippewa Street using downtown couplets, proposing 19 stations at an estimated cost of $667 million.

By 2022, Bi-State Development formalized partnerships with St. Louis County and City to progress an expanded Northside-Southside corridor study. In September 2023, Bi-State awarded an $18.9 million contract to Northside-Southside Transit Partners for design consulting services related to the project. The East-West Gateway Council selected the Jefferson Avenue alignment as the locally preferred alternative in February 2024, allowing for federal funding applications to proceed.

This proposed alignment includes about 10 stations spanning from Chippewa Street to Grand Boulevard along Jefferson Avenue, converting Metro’s #11 (Chippewa) and #4 (Natural Bridge) bus lines into fixed rail service. The design study completed in 2023 estimates daily ridership at approximately 5,000 passengers, annual operating expenses between $8 and $9 million, and capital costs totaling $1.1 billion. To support this expansion, Metro plans to enlarge its Ewing Yard and Shops maintenance facility.

In April 2025, Bi-State announced that St. Louis mayor Cara Spencer requested a temporary halt on Green Line planning to reassess the project’s feasibility and competitiveness.

Route

Beginning at the intersection of Natural Bridge Avenue and Grand Boulevard near Fairground Park, the route travels east along Natural Bridge before turning south onto Parnell Street with a station near St. Louis Avenue. As Parnell transitions into Jefferson Avenue, stations are positioned at Cass Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive prior to entering downtown St. Louis. Downtown stops include Market Street and Scott Avenue/Ewing Yard, where riders can transfer to the Red and Blue lines. Continuing southward on Jefferson Avenue, four additional stations are planned at Park Avenue, Gravois/Sidney Street, Cherokee Street, concluding at Chippewa Street.

Stations

Traveling from Grand/Fairground Park down to Chippewa (north to south)

Station	Connections
Grand/Fairground Park	__
Palm/Salisbury (Optional)
St. Louis Avenue
Cass
Dr. Martin Luther King Drive
Market
Scott Avenue/Ewing Yard	Template:Rcb Template:Rcb
Park	__
Russell (Optional)
Gravois/Sidney
Arsenal (Optional)
Cherokee
Chippewa

Future extension

In 2023, four potential routes were examined for extending service from the Grand/Fairground station along Natural Bridge Avenue into North St. Louis County. However, by 2024, county officials dismissed all proposed corridors primarily due to a lack of funding for the segment between Grand/Fairground and the county boundary, coupled with concerns about federal financing, expected ridership levels, and difficulties with securing right-of-way. Alternative options now being evaluated include a light rail spur branching from the current Red Line near the University of Missouri–St. Louis, enhanced rapid bus transit, or a combination of elements from the 2023 proposals.

The four routes proposed in 2023 included:

1. Goodfellow/West Florissant: This option would follow Natural Bridge Avenue, then head north on Goodfellow Boulevard before turning northwest along West Florissant Avenue, terminating at the North County Transit Center.
2. Jennings Stations/Halls Ferry: This alignment would continue along Natural Bridge Avenue, proceed north on Jennings Station Road, and then northwest via Halls Ferry Road to conclude at the North County Transit Center.
3. Lucas-Hunt/Halls Ferry: Following Natural Bridge Avenue northward onto Lucas-Hunt Road and then northwest on Halls Ferry Road, this route would end at the North County Transit Center.
4. Natural Bridge/Florissant: This alternative would progress along Natural Bridge Avenue with a transfer connection to the existing Red Line at UMSL–North station, continuing north through Ferguson on Florissant Road and concluding at Hereford Avenue.