ST. LOUIS — The agency that oversees regional bus and rail service on Friday approved a study on Bus Rapid Transit, pitched as an alternative to a new north-south MetroLink line.

The board of the Bi-State Development Agency approved the change without dissent.

Talby Roach, CEO of Bi-State, said the light rail proposal, known as the Green Line, is unaffordable without significant federal funding.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer asked Bi-State to consider the rapid bus line as an alternative.

The decision comes after officials this week moved to scrap plans for a new MetroLink rail line linking the city’s north and south sides. A rapid bus line along the same route, along Jefferson Avenue, could be more quickly built and more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, they said. Spencer and Roach also

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