WASHINGTON PARK, Ill. – FOX 2 has the first look at the dramatic changes to every St. Louis area MetroLink stop.
Eight to nine months from now, the first four MetroLink stations will have a dramatic security makeover. Ticketed riders will only be allowed through the new, eight-foot-high electronic gates and platform fencing. There will be no more “open” platforms.
“You’ll bring your ticket up. The security guard will look at your ticket. If you have valid fare, they’ll use a proxy card to scan you through the gating system,” said Kevin Scott, general manager of security for Bi-State Development.
He said most of the stops will eventually have ticketing integrated with the gate system. Riders will be able to get through the gates by swiping their valid tickets or via a phone app.
The Washington Park station and three others in Illinois will be the first to get the security upgrades.
Six more stations, including the Central West End and Delmar Loop, stop in St. Louis and will have the new gates ready as early as next summer.
The $52 million SPP (Secure Platform Plan) will transform all 38 stops into six separate groupings by 2025.
“We’re trying to make people feel more secure. We’re trying to enhance overall fare compliance,” Scott said. “There are a lot of things that go into this project, but make no mistake, this is a security upgrade first.”
The number of Metro security cameras is doubling to the total amount of about 1,600 with Metro’s “real-time” security team monitoring the closed circuit feeds around the clock.
Scott said train ridership is slowly rebounding after falling by nearly half during the pandemic from a pre-COVID average of about 12 million a year.
“We’re dealing with a regional crime impact across the entire region. People are more cautious,” he said.
Metro is hosting a public open house on the security changes on Tuesday, June 27, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Spaces, 207 East Main Street, in Belleville, Illinois.
There’s a virtual open house via Zoom Wednesday, June 28, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
To pre-register for the Zoom event, click here.