BELLEVILLE, Ill. – MetroLink’s new $52 million plan to secure its rider platforms will be the focus of a public open house later Tuesday.

Washington park Metro Station just off Kingshighway and three others in Illinois will be the first to get the security upgrades. Metro officials say the changes known as the ‘Secure Platform Plan,’ are a key component of their efforts to increase ridership.

Only ticketed riders will be able to get through the new gates. There will be no more open train platforms. Eight-foot high fencing will surround all the access points to the platforms.

The goal is to transform the original open access MetroLink platform system into a closed platform system with centralized and secured customer service entrances at all MetroLink stations. The first four stations in Illinois should be done in the next eight to nine months.

Six more stations including the Central West End and Delmar Loop stops will get the new gates as early as next summer. The secure Platform Plan will eventually upgrade all 38 MetroLink stops in six separate groupings by 2025.

“You’ll bring your ticket up, General Manager of Security, Bi-State Development Kevin Scott detailed. “The security guard specifically in Package #1, the first four platforms, will look at your ticket. If you have valid fare they’ll use a proxy card that they have to scan you through the gating system. We’re trying to make people feel more secure. We’re trying to enhance overall fare compliance. 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 about 1,600 with metro’s “real time” security team monitoring the closed circuit feeds.

Metro’s open house Tuesday on the Secure Platform Plan is set to take place from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Spaces. That is located at 207 East Main Street in Belleville.

There will also be a virtual public meeting on the security plan Wednesday via Zoom from 6:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.