Public Transit & the Science of Networks

Often, aspirant professionals are directed to “network” as a catchall for meeting and mingling with the right people in order to achieve career advancement. Social networking sites such as facebook and myspace have given new light to the idea of staying connected.

And, the field of study known as “network science” offers a wide array of explorations and explanations concerning “how everything is connected to everything else.”

So where does the light rail fit in discussions of networks?

Attending those Metro public hearings reminded us about the interconnected relationships between bus, light rail, and call-a-ride services. Many travelers depend on multiple forms of transit that are linked to various routes, hubs, and destinations. In short, public transportation in the Metro East and St. Louis constitutes an extensive network.

The light rail, no doubt, is an important link or a useful connector in that larger network.

For instance, passengers are exposed to people who work and play. Some passengers ride the trains to get to the baseball games; others ride the trains to connect to the busses which will take them to their early morning shifts at the hospitals, restaurants, and factories.

Also, students are exposed to other collegiates in the area. Since the metro serves as a convienient form of transportation for students from campuses such as Fontbonne, Forest Park, all the way out to Scott Air Force Base, students will more than likely meet students with diverse backgrounds and multiple disciplines along their routes.

And so we view public transit as a vital cultural network as well.

Viewing the light rail as an integral part of this larger cultural network means that we are taking into account more than just the ways that this form of transportation connects passengers to places. Instead, we have come to recognize that how travels along the light rail can put people in touch with new and diverse ideas.

There But Not There

On the train you’re alone but not alone. You’re still, but moving. Everyone’s faces are composed, neutral. But you’re surrounded by stories. That elderly couple that got on at the hospital, each wearing dazzlingly new white sneakers. Not a scuff on them, shoelaces still crisp. You imagine them shopping together, trying on different pairs. But somebody’s sick. One of them is dying. We make our faces masks but everything about us suggests a narrative. That girl has a limp she’s trying to hide; you noticed it when she got off. The world is full of injury, but why does she try to hide it? Each step a reminder of what? You watch her walk down the platform towards the parking lot and then your train picks up speed and she’s gone, or you are. You are. You pull up your hoodie and press your shades up the bridge of your nose. Nobody’s getting in today. You’re there but not there. You’re gone.

Travels and Transfers

When we first began a project on the light rail system of southern Illinois, we were primarily concerned with creating short artistic portraits based on our travels. The idea was to present a collection of creative reflections and speculations about people’s journeys, as we did in our “First Time Travelers” and “Naps and the Light Rail" posts, for example.

The subway section of Colson Whitehead’s The Colossus of New York was a useful model for what we were doing.

Over the course of the past few months, however, our interests have gone in slightly different directions. We continue to produce the creative reflections. But we have begun to focus more on the politics of public transportation, the crucial St. Louis County November vote, and the value and values of public transit, and the cultural interactions and conflicts that arise in relation to light rail travel.

Attending the public hearings related to the Metro system really energized our political interests and helped us recognize the firm links between politics and public transportation.

We’re hoping that paying attention to artistic matters and the politics of public transit will give us special insight about the implications of light rail travel. Ideally, that cultural knowledge will extend our cultural knowledge concerning the region.

Image: View of Metrolink map at Grand station courtesy of H.R. from Along the Light Rail.