MetroLink is the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan mass transit system serving Missouri and the Metro East area of Illinois. The system consists of two rail lines (Red Line and Blue Line) connecting St. Louis Lambert International Airport and Shrewsbury, Missouri, with Scott Air Force Base near Shiloh, Illinois, Washington University, Forest Park, and Downtown St. Louis. The system operates as underground subway in Downtown St. Louis and as underground subway through portions near Forest Park and Clayton to the west. The system features 38 stations and is the only light rail system in the United States to cross state lines. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . As of the third quarter of 2020, it is second only to Minneapolis Metro Transit in the Midwestern United States in terms of light rail ridership, and is the 11th-largest light rail system in the country. MetroLink is operated by the Bi-State Development Agency, operating as Metro since 2003, in a shared fare system with the MetroBus lines. Despite officially being called "light rail," it features many characteristics of a light metro or rapid transit service, including a completely independent right of way, a higher top speed, and all high level platforms. History Construction on the initial MetroLink alignment from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to the 5th & Missouri station in East St Louis began in 1990. The initial segment with 19 stations opened on July 31, 1993, between the North Hanley and 5th & Missouri stations. Service was operated with 31 high-floor light rail vehicles. About 14 miles of the original 17 miles were on existing rail right-of-way. The first phase of MetroLink was complete when the line was extended westward to Lambert Airport Main station on June 25, 1994. At that time another station, East Riverfront, was opened in East St. Louis. Four years later, in 1998, the Lambert Airport East station was added. The capital cost to build the initial phase of MetroLink was $465 million. Of that amount, $348 million was supplied by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Construction on the St. Clair County MetroLink extension from the 5th & Missouri station to the College station in Belleville began in 1998 and opened in May 2001. The extension added eight new stations and seven park-ride lots. The total project cost was $339.2 million, with the FTA and St. Clair