After nearly thirty years of service, downtown Moline’s MetroLINK bus station received a major facelift through a Rebuild Illinois capital project funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Upgrades include a redesigned lobby, improved heating and cooling systems, a new Metro Shop cafe, updated restrooms, and a community art mural created in partnership with Quad City Arts.
CEO and Managing Director Jeff Nelson says the improvements show MetroLINK’s commitment to accessible public services.
“We're blessed in the Illinois Quad Cities that transit is a key fabric of the community," Nelson said. "We think that continuing to reinvest in ourselves for the community and more importantly, our daily riders is very important, and we appreciate their patronage. But more importantly, we want to have the amenities that really reflect the quality of our service.”
Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati says keeping public transit strong is essential to Moline’s growth and community pride.
“All kinds of people deserve to have nice things, as we say. Right," Mayor Rayapati said. "It creates a sense of pride, a sense of ownership over things when they're kept well and they're created in a really thoughtful way. And I think everything about Moline Centre Station has been really thoughtful.”
The $2.5 million renovation was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on Thursday, October 16th.
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