Co-located Events in St. Louis Address Multiple Professional Interests 

Nearly 700 attendees of the co-located APTAtech and the Sustainability/Operations Planning and Scheduling Workshop had a special opportunity to explore transit innovation through multiple lenses while visiting St. Louis, MO August 9-12. Attendees had the flexible option to attend sessions focusing on technology, fare collection, sustainability, resilience, and service planning. The grand spaces of the historic St. Louis Union Station Hotel spoke to the industry’s railroad and public transportation heritage.

The co-located workshops opened with a joint general session and spotlight on innovation happening in the St. Louis region. Taulby Roach, president and chief executive officer of Bi-State Development Agency led a conversation with senior leadership from St. Louis Metro including Essence Owens, Ronald Forrest, Kelly Haidinyak, Thomas Curran, and Chris Poehler. Their discussion of the Secure Platform Project, fare collection modernization, BRT, and other initiatives demonstrated how strategic investments in technology and infrastructure can strengthen operations while improving the experience for riders and employees.

St. Louis Metro offered multiple tours throughout the week focused on charging infrastructure, 3D printing, sustainable design, and a special behind the scenes look at the current Secure Platform Project, where participants could experience how controlled access is improving the customer environment on MetroLink station platforms.

That conversation continued during the joint executive roundtable, where innovation was examined from the perspective of agency leadership. Moderated by Jay Fox, executive director of Utah Transit Authority, the discussion brought together executives from Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), the City of Madison, Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority, and Bi-State Development Agency. Their perspectives reinforced an important lesson: technology does not operate in a vacuum. Successful innovation requires alignment among technology, service planning, scheduling, sustainability, fare collection, finance, and organizational leadership.

APTAtech and the Sustainability/Operations Planning and Scheduling Workshop will again co-locate in 2027 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, Aug 8-11.