St. Louis residents preview Green Line Bus Rapid Transit concept as Metro retools north-south corridor project

Public open houses launch the next phase of a long-planned north-south transit expansion

St. Louis residents are getting their first detailed look at a proposed Green Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concept that would run through the city’s Northside-Southside corridor, following years of planning that initially centered on a street-running light rail extension along Jefferson Avenue.

The new outreach campaign, organized as a series of in-person open houses and a virtual session, is intended to gather feedback on BRT features, station locations and corridor options before design choices are narrowed. Meetings are scheduled for Feb. 3 at the Polish Heritage Center, Feb. 4 at the Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center, and Feb. 5 at RUNG for Women, with an online open house planned for Feb. 11.

Why the project is being re-examined

The Green Line has been framed as a north-south mobility investment connecting neighborhoods to jobs, education and health services while linking with the region’s existing MetroLink system. However, escalating capital cost estimates for the rail alternative and uncertainty about the project’s competitiveness for federal funding triggered a renewed look at lower-cost, faster-to-deliver options.

In late September 2025, regional transit leadership formally directed staff and consultants to revisit the project’s scope and requirements with an emphasis on evaluating BRT. The shift aimed to preserve earlier planning work—such as environmental documentation and station area concepts—while reconsidering the vehicle technology and the overall cost profile.

What “Green Line BRT” could include

BRT typically combines higher-frequency service with infrastructure intended to reduce delay, including fewer stops, improved boarding areas and operational tools that help buses move more reliably through traffic. In St. Louis, the planning effort is evaluating how those elements could be applied along the same general corridor previously advanced for light rail, with options that include both a shorter corridor concept and a longer, extended concept.

Earlier Green Line work identified a roughly 5.6-mile north-south corridor generally linking the Fairground Park/Grand Boulevard area to South St. Louis near Chippewa, largely via Jefferson Avenue. Prior plans for the rail alternative discussed about 10 stations, with stop spacing designed to balance walk access and travel time.

• Potential corridor lengths under review include a core alignment and an extended version.
• Station location concepts are being revisited with an emphasis on access, constructability and cost.
• Planning is focused on delivering faster and more reliable service than existing local routes in the corridor.

What happens next

The current engagement period is designed to inform the alternative analysis and preliminary design work now underway. That work is expected to determine which corridor option and BRT features advance into more detailed engineering and environmental review, along with a refined estimate of capital and operating costs and a clearer path for local and federal funding.

Residents attending open houses are being asked to weigh in on corridor options, station areas and how BRT could be designed to improve speed and reliability.

For St. Louis, the outcome of the BRT evaluation will shape whether the Green Line proceeds as a redesigned bus-based project, how it connects with MetroLink, and how quickly the city can move from concept to construction.