The Bi State Development Agency Of The Mo IL Metro Dist

The Bi State Development Agency Of The Mo IL Metro Dist Finance Division, doing business as ST Louis Metro, is a U.S. government entity structured as a local government and inter-municipal transit authority that receives federal transit and capital grants from the Federal Transit Administration and other federal agencies as a prime grant recipient. ST Louis Metro does not hold prime federal contracts and does not sit on contract vehicles; its federal footprint is entirely grant-based, with 96% of recent awards as prime recipient (201 of 210 awards) and 4% as sub-recipient on federal grants passed through the Illinois Department of Transportation.

ST Louis Metro's federal grant portfolio centers on transit capital and operating support for the St. Louis metropolitan region's public transportation system, which comprises MetroLink light rail and Metrobus services across the Missouri-Illinois bi-state area. The agency has received approximately $2.57 billion in obligated federal dollars across recent grants, substantially above the stated combined potential value, reflecting the cash drawdown nature of federal transit formula grants. Concrete recent awards include a $274.8 million Federal Transit Administration State of Good Repair competitive grant (CFDA 20.525) awarded August 1, 2024, for replacement of up to 55 light rail vehicles that have exceeded their 25-year useful life—a two-phase project with engineering services from Hatch LTK Consulting and manufacturing by Siemens Mobility Inc.; a $19.11 million Federal Transit Formula Grant (CFDA 20.507) awarded July 23, 2025, for capital improvements including bus loop pavement rehabilitation, LED lighting upgrades, tunnel rehabilitation and waterproofing, and non-revenue vehicle acquisition; and a $13.56 million Federal Transit Formula Grant (CFDA 20.507) awarded June 5, 2026, for transit asset preservation including non-revenue vehicle procurement, bus stop shelter construction, and rail trackwork rehabilitation, with completion extended to November 30, 2035.

The Federal Transit Administration dominates ST Louis Metro's customer concentration, accounting for 160 of 210 total awards (76% by count). The agency also receives grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (6 awards, Port Security Grant Program), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (11 combined awards worth $195 thousand potential value), and the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration (4 awards). FTA awards span multiple formula programs: Federal Transit Formula Grants (Section 5307, CFDA 20.507) for urbanized area capital and operating support; State of Good Repair Grants (Section 5337, CFDA 20.525) for rail and transit system maintenance and vehicle replacement; Buses and Bus Facilities (Section 5339, CFDA 20.526) for bus fleet modernization including diesel-electric hybrid and battery-electric bus acquisition and charging infrastructure; and Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310, CFDA 20.513) for alternative and ancillary transportation services operated by local nonprofits. Local matching funds are consistently derived from local sales tax revenue, typically at 20–25% of federal amounts.

Activity has grown substantially year over year from 2022 through 2024 (14 awards in 2022 to 21 in 2024), with a decline to 6 awards in 2025 and 2 in 2026 reflecting the snapshot timing of recent awards rather than sustained decline. Twelve awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and face recompete or closeout in that window. ST Louis Metro administers federally funded projects in multiple capital categories, including vehicle procurement and leasing, facility rehabilitation and improvements, technology infrastructure modernization, equipment and HVAC replacement, bus stop and station enhancements, and emergency relief activities (including $27.68 million in FTA Section 5324 Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program funding awarded February 23, 2024, for recovery from flood damage affecting approximately 16 facilities, light rail vehicles, and track alignment).