Officials To Drive Golden Spike To Celebrate Trolley Completion

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — The Loop Trolley will officially begin service Thursday morning, shortly after a ribbon cutting ceremony with St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, University City Mayor Terry Crow and other city and county officials.

The long-delayed trolley was first proposed by Loop developer Joe Edwards in 1997 and the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District was established in 2008, though construction didn't begin for another six years and deadline after deadline has flown past in the interim.

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The Loop Trolley Company said last year it needed another half million dollars cash before it could begin services. Two local real estate development firms — Clayco and CRG — announced in December they would front the money, but a "January or February" target date passed, followed by "spring" then "late spring" and so on. Almost a year later, the trolley is finally ready to run — with limited service.

"We are elated to have the trolley open to the public," Edwards said in a statement. "So many wonderful people have worked together to get us to this point. I’m sure everyone is excited at the opportunity to ride on these beautifully refurbished Portland trolleys."

A $25 million Federal Transit Authority grant as well as local grants, tax credits and a special districtwide sales tax made up the bulk of the project's initial funding. St. Louis County provided $3 million toward the project, while University City kicked in $250,000 plus a 1-cent sales tax on businesses in the Loop Trolley Transportation Development District.

That tax has provided less revenue than was anticipated as a slew of businesses have closed in the Loop and others have seen less foot traffic due to the construction of the Trolley line.

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The final cost of the trolley project, which will run a little over 2 miles, from the Missouri History Museum to the Delmar Loop, comes to about $51 million.

Standard tickets will be $2 for a two-hour fare and $5 for an all-day fare, with reduced fares offered for disabled and elderly passengers. The trolley will run every 20 to 25 minutes.

"As the Loop focuses on progressing forward and strengthening connections between residents, visitors and businesses, the trolley is the community’s vehicle that’s generating greater momentum in the effort to impact businesses, unite St. Louis and bring people to one of America’s great streets in a unique and creative way," officials said in a press release.

But some have complained that the tracks make the Loop unsafe for bikers, while others have pointed out that the tracks run perilously close to some parking spaces. Last month, the trolley had its first accident when it clipped a parked car, and just today, the Riverfront Times reports, it hit another.

Nevertheless, taking a page from history, city and county officials will drive a golden spike at the city-county line to mark the project's completion. In 1869, officials used a similar spike to celebrate the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a project begun during the Civil War and built by hand in just six years — seven years ahead of an 1876 deadline set by Congress.

Also unlike the transcontinental railroad, the trolley will only run four days a week: Thursday to Sunday, noon to 8 p.m., with service extended to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Photo: Officials drive a ceremonial golden spike upon completing the first transcontinental railroad, at Promontory Point, Utah. On the left is the Central Pacific locomotive, on the right the Union Pacific engine. (Hulton Archive via Getty Images)