MetroLink rail system facing discrimination suit

ST. LOUIS -- A federal lawsuit filed Friday accuses the regional transit agency that operates St. Louis' light rail system of discriminating against minority companies.

Three groups -- the Concerned Citizens Coalition, MoKan and the St. Louis Minority Contractors Association -- say Metro has failed to hire enough minority construction firms to work on its $550 million expansion of the MetroLink system into central St. Louis County.

"At this point, minorities are being totally excluded by Metro," said Eric Vickers of the Concerned Citizens Coalition.

Vickers said Metro has awarded only three percent of the contracts to minority firms.

The suit asks the court to require that $55 million in contracts, or 10 percent of the work, go to minority-owned firms. St. Louis attorney Lyell H. Champagne said he filed the suit late Friday.

A spokesman for Metro said finding minority-owned companies has been difficult.

Last month, a few dozen protesters with the Concerned Citizens Coalition gathered at a MetroLink station near Forest Park to rally against the lack of minority contracts. Three people, including Vickers, were arrested for trying to block MetroLink lines.