Editing Gateway Arch (section)

===Observation area===
[[File:JNEM Observation deck.jpg|thumb|left |Observation area on top of the Gateway Arch]]
Near the top of the Arch, passengers exit the tram compartment and climb a slight grade to enter the observation area. This arched deck, which is over {{convert|65|ft|m}} long and {{convert|7|ft|m}} wide,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Gateway Arch |last=Selbert |first=Pamela |journal=[[Trailer Life]] |date=April 2004 |volume=64 |issue=4 |page=64 |publisher=TL Enterprises, Inc. |issn=0041-0780 }}</ref> can hold up to about 160 people, equivalent to the number of people from four trams.<ref name="Mogin" /> Sixteen windows per side, each measuring {{convert|7|x|27|in|mm}}, offer views up to {{convert|30|mi|km}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/act.arch.aspx |title=Top of the Gateway Arch |publisher=Gateway Arch Riverfront |access-date=December 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501044957/http://www.gatewayarch.com/Arch/info/act.arch.aspx |archive-date=May 1, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> to the east across the [[Mississippi River]] and southern [[Illinois]] with its prominent [[Mississippian culture]] mounds at [[Cahokia Mounds]] and to the west over the city of [[St. Louis]] and [[St. Louis County, Missouri|St. Louis County]] beyond.{{citation needed |date=September 2011}}

====Modes of ascent====
[[File:Gateway Arch tram car.JPG|thumb|upright |Interior of the tram capsule in the Gateway Arch]]
There are three modes of transportation up the arch: two sets of 1,076-step emergency stairs (one per leg),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/arch-faq.htm |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=December 14, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100530224648/http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/arch_faq.html |archive-date=May 30, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> a 12-passenger elevator to the {{convert|372|ft|m|adj=on}} height,<ref name="James"/> and a tram in each leg.<ref name="csmonitor"/>

Each tram is a chain of eight cylindrical, five-seat compartments<ref name="Nofziger">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mqVYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5612,1305043 |title=The Ups & Downs Of Jefferson Expansion Memorial Park |last=Nofziger |first=Fred |date=December 27, 1987 |newspaper=[[The Blade (Toledo)|Toledo Blade]] |page=D7 |access-date=January 13, 2011 }}</ref> with glass doors.<ref name="Schatt">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Qkk0AAAAIBAJ&pg=5780,5802040 |title=Gateway Arch Worth A Trip To St. Louis |last=Schatt |first=Steve |date=December 28, 1975 |newspaper=[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]] |page=7F |access-date=January 11, 2011 }}</ref> As each tram has a capacity of 40 passengers and there are two trams, 80 passengers can be transported at one time, with trams departing from the ground every 10 minutes.<ref name="Post-Dispatch"/> The compartments (capsules) rotate like [[Ferris wheel|Ferris-wheel]] cars as they ascend and descend the arch on rails.<ref name="Sutton"/> This fashion of movement gave rise to the idea of the tram as "half-Ferris wheel and half-elevator."<ref name="Sutton"/> The trip to the top takes four minutes,<ref name="Borcover"/> and the trip down takes three minutes.<ref name="Mogin" />
[[File:STL JNEM north tram upper station.jpg|thumb|left |North stairs and tram descending from observation platform]]

Because of a lack of funds in March 1962, the NPS did not accept bids for the arch's internal train system<ref name="Brown7"/> and considered discarding the idea.<ref name="Corrigan"/> In May 1962,<ref name="Corrigan"/> the [[Bi-State Development Agency]] proposed that it issue revenue bonds to obtain the required funds. The Department of the Interior and Bi-State entered into an agreement where Bi-State would construct and operate the tram.<ref name="Corrigan"/><ref name="Brown7"/> Bi-State would have to raise $1,977,750 for the construction of the tram system.<ref name="Brown7"/> It [[wikt:retire#Verb|retired the bonds]] by setting a $1 riding fee to the top.{{#tag:ref |Some locals wrote letters to the [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] accusing Bi-State of "gouging".<ref name="Corrigan"/> |group=lower-alpha}}
[[File:Downtown-STL-4 (32131567337).jpg|thumb|A view of the city of St. Louis from the observation room of the St. Louis Arch]]
Bi-State put in $3.3&nbsp;million [[revenue bond]]s and has operated the tram system since.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kU5hAAAAIBAJ&pg=4456,4487422 |title=St. Louis Arch Train System Opens After Many Delays |date=July 24, 1967 |newspaper=[[St. Joseph News-Press]] |agency=Associated Press |page=1B |access-date=January 24, 2011 }}</ref> The tram in the north leg entered operation in June 1967,<ref name="Freeman"/> but visitors were forced to endure three-hour-long waits until April 21, 1976, when a reservation system was put in place.<ref name="Arch timeline" /> The south tram was completed by March 1968. Commemorative pins were awarded to the first 100,000 passengers.<ref name="Corrigan"/> As of 2007, the trams have traveled {{convert|250000|mi|km}}, conveying more than 25&nbsp;million passengers.<ref name="Post-Dispatch">{{cite news |url=http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/AWNB/119736C1B5DFABF8/0D7C12F5A8A2A86A |title=The Gateway Arch |date=May 24, 2007 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |page=23 |access-date=January 11, 2011 |issn=1930-9600 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707223359/http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&p_product=AWNB&p_text_direct-0=document_id%3D%28%20119736C1B5DFABF8%20%29&p_docid=119736C1B5DFABF8&p_theme=aggdocs&p_queryname=119736C1B5DFABF8&f_openurl=yes&p |archive-date=July 7, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Incidents====
[[File:Boy looking out observation window.jpg|thumb|left|A boy is looking out one of the observation windows at the city of St. Louis. [[Busch Stadium]] can be seen through the window.]]
On July 8, 1970, a six-year-old boy, his mother, and two of her friends were trapped in a tram in the arch's south leg after the monument closed. According to the boy's mother, the group went up the arch around 9:30&nbsp;p.m. [[Central Daylight Time|CDT]], but when the tram reached the de-boarding area, its doors did not open. The tram then reportedly traveled up to a storage area {{convert|50|ft|m|0}} above the ground, and the power was switched off.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BFRWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2145,3066012&dq=gateway-arch&hl=en |title=Four Spend Shaky Hour in High Train |date=July 10, 1970 |agency=Associated Press |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |access-date=March 24, 2011 }}</ref> One person was able to pry open the tram door and the four managed to reach a security guard for help after being trapped for about 45 minutes.<ref name="Arch timeline" />

On July 21, 2007, a broken cable forced the south tram to be shut down, leaving only the north tram in service until repairs were completed in March 2008.<ref name="USA Today cable">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-03-18-st-louis-arch-tram_N.htm |title=After 8 months, tram in St. Louis Gateway Arch moving again |date=March 18, 2008 |work=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |access-date=January 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130205085010/http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-03-18-st-louis-arch-tram_N.htm |archive-date=February 5, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Around 200 tourists were stuck inside the arch for about three hours because the severed cable contacted a high-voltage rail, causing a [[electrical fuse|fuse]] to blow. The north tram was temporarily affected by the power outage as well, but some passengers were able to exit the arch through the emergency stairs and elevator. It was about two hours until all the tram riders safely descended, while those in the observation area at the time of the outage had to wait an additional hour before being able to travel back down. An arch official said the visitors, most of whom stayed calm during the ordeal, were not in any danger and were later given refunds.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19893149 |title=Tram out of service after Gateway Arch mishap |agency=Associated Press |work=[[NBC News]] |date=July 22, 2007 |access-date=March 24, 2011 }}</ref> The incident occurred while visitors in the arch were watching a fireworks display, and no one was seriously injured in the event. However, two people received medical treatment; one person needed [[oxygen]] and the other was [[diabetic]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072200045.html |title=200 Trapped in Gateway Arch for 2 Hours |agency=Associated Press |date=July 22, 2007 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 24, 2011 }}</ref> Almost immediately after the tram returned to service in 2008, however, it was closed again for new repairs after an electrical switch broke. The incident, which occurred on March 14, was billed as a "bad coincidence."<ref>{{cite news |title=Gateway Arch tram reopens, breaks down |date=March 15, 2008 |work=[[United Press International|UPI NewsTrack]] |publisher=United Press International }}</ref>
[[File:Mississippi River from the Arch.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the Mississippi River from the observation room of the St. Louis Arch.]]

On the morning of February 9, 2011, a National Park Service worker was injured while performing repairs on the south tram. The 55-year-old was working on the tram's electrical system when he was trapped between it and the arch wall for around 30 seconds, until being saved by other workers. Emergency officials treated the injured NPS employee at the arch's top before taking him to [[Saint Louis University Hospital]] in a serious condition.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/article_9f3b5873-7763-593f-aaa4-74a65ef09f59.html |title=Worker injured by tram inside Gateway Arch |last=Currier |first=Joel |date=February 10, 2011 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date=May 14, 2011 }}</ref>

On March 24, 2011, around one hundred visitors were stranded in the observation area for 45 minutes after the doors of the south tram refused to close. The tourists were safely brought down the arch in the north tram, which had been closed that week so officials could upgrade it with a new computer system. The National Park Service later attributed the malfunction to a computer glitch associated with the new system, which had already been implemented with the south tram. No one was hurt in the occurrence.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/251177/3/Arch-trams-shut-down-stranding-visitors- |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127065538/http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/251177/3/Arch-trams-shut-down-stranding-visitors- |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |title=Arch trams shut down, stranding visitors |date=March 24, 2011 |last=Held |first=Kevin |location=St. Louis |publisher=KSDK-TV |access-date=March 24, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Group-trapped-at-top-of-Arch-after-malfunction-118606314.html |title=Group trapped at top of Arch after malfunction |date=March 24, 2011 |location=St. Louis |publisher=[[KMOV-TV]] |access-date=March 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110326045551/http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Group-trapped-at-top-of-Arch-after-malfunction-118606314.html |archive-date=March 26, 2011 }}</ref>

Around 2:15&nbsp;p.m. local time on June 16, 2011, the arch's north tram stalled due to a power outage.<ref name="tram stall">{{cite news |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/article_744afb22-985d-11e0-80ed-001a4bcf6878.html |title=Arch tram stalls with 40 on board |last=Currier |first=Joel |date=June 16, 2011 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |access-date=June 16, 2011 }}</ref> The tram became stuck about {{convert|200|ft|m}} from the observation deck, and passengers eventually were told to climb the stairs to the observation area.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/263425/3/Arch-north-tram-stalls-trapping-visitors |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904034758/http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/263425/3/Arch-north-tram-stalls-trapping-visitors |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2012 |title=St. Louis Arch tram stalls, trapping visitors |last=Held |first=Kevin |date=June 16, 2011 |location=St. Louis |publisher=KSDK-TV |access-date=June 16, 2011 }}</ref> It took National Park Service workers about one hour to manually pull the tram to the top, and the 40 trapped passengers were able to return down on the south tram, which had previously not been operating that day because there was not an abundance of visitors. An additional 120 people were at the observation deck at the time of the outage and also exited via the south tram. During the outage, visitors were stuck in the tram with neither lighting nor air conditioning.<ref name="tram stall" /> No one was seriously injured in the incident, but one visitor lost consciousness after suffering a [[panic attack]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Visitors-to-the-Arch-stuck-after-tram-loses-power-124031214.html |title=Arch tram loses power, passengers stuck |last=Chiodo |first=Joe |date=June 16, 2011 |location=St. Louis |publisher=KMOV-TV |access-date=June 16, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618151551/http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Visitors-to-the-Arch-stuck-after-tram-loses-power-124031214.html |archive-date=June 18, 2011 }}</ref> and a park ranger was taken away with minor injuries. The cause of the outage was not immediately known.<ref name="tram stall" />