St. Louis proposes new fiber optic technique

  • 2015-06-30
St. Louis is planning to bury fiber optic cables beneath new trolley tracks.

According to a June 17, 2015 news item, plans regarding the cabling were being finalized just as construction on the Delmar Loop Trolley gets underway. The fiber optic network moves data 100 times faster than the speeds available on the internet today.

David Sandel, who is with the Loop Media Hub, says the cabling could be of greater benefit to the community than the trolley itself. A European technology center has already been in touch with Sandel, saying they were interested in moving to St. Louis to take advantage of the area. In particular, according to Sandel, the company cited access to the high-speed fiber optics, the talent in the Delmar neighborhood, and the general “coolness” of the area as the reasons for its interest.

The Delmar Loop neighborhood is a hub of cultural and entertainment, lying largely in the close-in University City suburb of St. Louis. It gets its name from an old streetcar route which used to go around the area in a loop before returning to the St. Louis downtown. The new trolley will link University City and Forest Park.

City officials might consider working with brochure printers to create a booklet explaining explain both the trolley, and the fiber optic cables beneath it. They could make the booklet available to commercial realtors for their clients.