MetroLink Opens New Painting Facility

Metro recently celebrated the grand opening of its new $4.3 million paint facility, located in East St. Louis, IL which enables it to prepare and paint light-rail vehicles in a controlled environment that is healthier for employees and better for the environment.

The new facility, built by Plocher Construction Company of Highland, IL, is a 9,600-square-foot precast panel structure containing two distinct work areas, one of which is the totally enclosed paint booth. Metro employees can clean and prepare the trains for painting on one side of the facility, while other employees simultaneously paint other trains on the other side.

The prep area includes a dust collection system that is one of the "green" features of the operation. Six separate work areas in the prep bay, where employees use various air tools, are tied into a central vacuum system that will collect all the dust and other particles and transport them to dust collection bags in a separate room.

The paint booth itself is equipped with two automated "lifts" that give the individuals applying the spray paint easy access to all parts of the train. Each lift can accommodate up to two painters, further streamlining the process. The trains will be painted with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and an extensive exhaust system helps to further minimize the environmental impact of the process, while also reducing the risk of dust or other particles marring the paint job. Outside air flows in through the ceiling, where filters remove particles from the air before it enters the paint booth. Exhaust fans then return the air to the environment, pulling it through filters in the paint booth pits. The filters are designed to remove paint and other particles so that the exhaust air meets environmental standards. In addition, 400 energy-efficient fluorescent lights illuminate the paint booth, enabling Metro employees to apply the paint with precision, and allowing for careful inspection of the completed paint job before the trains are put back into circulation.

Plocher Construction completed construction six months ahead of schedule and approximately 10 percent under the estimated budget of $4,783,821.

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