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Print Friendly MapThis trail gets its name from the MetroLink Red Line train track it parallels through eastern Belleville and (briefly) the village of Swansea. It is a classic rail-with-trail configuration, where train and trail share the same corridor. Initially, there were four MetroLink stations along the route (Memorial, Swansea, Belleville, College), with plans to extend the trail to the next station on both ends of its length. By 2018, the trail had been extended east to the Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Station. In 2020, a 3.5-mile extension was completed to connect the trail with the Fairview Heights MetroLink Station, extending the path through a picturesque and hilly corridor along the railroad lines. The stations help to divide the trail into shorter segments for some trail users, providing access and trail services to all.
The trail is mostly flat with gentle inclines. It goes by woods, farmland, a college campus, and city neighborhoods. It has very nice bridges over and under all the major street, highway and railroad crossings.
Just west of the Belleville station, the MetroBikeLink Trail is intersected by the picturesque Richland Creek Greenway Trail, which runs along the creek and through seven city parks in Belleville. East of the Belleville station, the St. Clair County Transit District's Orhcard Loop Trail connects to the path via Fox Valley Lane.
There is parking and trail access at each MetroLink station along the trail. To reach the largest station facility at Belleville: From I-64 take Exit 12 to State Route 159 South. Proceed 4 miles and turn left on N. Douglas Ave. Proceed 0.4 mile and turn left again onto Scheel Street. MetroLink parking is a block and a half ahead, at the end of the street.
With the recent snow, there was enough of it to do some cross country skiing. We started at the Scott/Shiloh Metro station and parking was easy and safe.
My husband & I just rode the new 3 1/2 mile section from Memorial Hospital station to Fairview Hts station. Loved the hilly curvy over the bridge & creeks to Fairview Hts station. He also rode the Eckert Orchards. Loved that as well. ¿¿
The trail is a nice combination of city & country terrain. The Amelung section near SWIC needs some TLC. The asphalt is buckled in multiple places which can make it difficult for some to navigate without an accident. The excess brush & vegetation along most of the trail has been very well maintained. Most of the wooden bridges are splintering and I met one rider that caught a flat from a piece of wood. Stay aware of pedestrians at the Belleville Station crossing. Consider adding the Orchard Loop to this ride for an extra challenge!
I live close to this trail and ride it all the time! As of 3/25/2017, they've opened it up to shiloh-scott station which adds 3.8 miles to the trail past east belleville ymca. They are also working on the trail by caryle avenue to cut out the neighborhood(and make it more straight), that is coming along nicely and once done, will cut out a road to wait for cars to cross. Over at the other end of trail memorial hospital, they have not started yet on expanding to fairview heights station. Overall great trail for our area!
A very well maintained trail. It goes thru some neighborhoods, but the signage is great! Definitely an asset to Belleville!
Nice wide trail most of the way, icy in the wooded area by SWIC needed some attention, and one restroom along the route would have been nice!
My family and I just moved to Belleville a month or so ago and I use this trail on a daily basis when running errands and getting around the city. It's a great trail with lots of potential. Now that the trail is going to run to Scott Air Force base and north into Madison county to hook up with their awesome trail system, it's going to be even more useful. Biking infrastructure is a HUGE selling point for towns and cities so I hope the Belleville government understands this and will continue to add biking infrastructure.
I ride this trail at least once a week. I am a beginner rider and its a challenge but I enjoy every minute of it. There are a couple of hills but overall I think you would love it.
There is an amazing local effort that has made this trail a reality. While it is still a relatively short trail, it is very well maintained paved trail with plenty of safety blue light stations, benches and a repair station. I cannot wait for the trail expansion to make this a longer trail. Happy riding...!
There is an amazing local effort that has made this trail a reality. While it is still a relatively short trail, it is very well maintained paved trail with plenty of safety blue light stations, benches and a repair station. I cannot wait for the trail expansion to make this a longer trail. Happy riding...!
Pros: The trail is new (asphalt is flat and in good condition), wide, and I do feel safe on it. There's water fountains and little rest shelters along the way and emergency call boxes. And if needed, you can stop at the Metrolink stops to use the bathroom. There are few roads that you need to cross, most have bridges going over the roads. Belleville drivers are NOT mindful of pedestrians (as they should be) and 9 out of 10 will NOT stop for even little kids in a cross walk - making the bridges almost a necessity.
Cons: 1) Too short. It connects with the Richland Creek Trail, which is also nicely maintained, but also very short. Need more and longer trails. I'll run 5+ miles at once (or bike 14+ miles), and if I were to run this trail all the time, I get bored - not enough trail. 2) The section from Green Mount to McKinley Drive is across a field. In the winter, the wind makes this VERY cold to use (even on a 50 degree day) & in the summer there is no shade and gets very hot. The trail was icy this past winter (not shoveled or salted) making it difficult to use. Because the trail follows the Metro, there is VERY LITTLE shade (if any) on most of the trail. In comparison, Richland Creek trail is more shaded and scenic, but crosses more roads.
Overall, the massive 2 trails in Belleville (Richland and Metro) totaling a massive about 11 miles (wow...) are nicely maintained, but are too short. These are both a good start to help improve this outdoor recreationally-deprived area.
This was really an expensive trail to build--what with all the elaborate bridges and retaining systems on hillsides! Even now there's a section of trail closed for construction near the eastern terminus. They're building a bridge over Green Mount Road and new trail sections approaching the SWIC campus. The trail is very nicely laid out and well maintained from start to finish.
We only had a little bit of time to walk as we caught one warm day in February. But we walked about a mile of the trail and loved it! I love that you walk next to the metro tracks, and that you cross over and under bridges! Will definately be using this trail during the warmer season!
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