EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill — Passengers will start seeing more security upgrades at MetroLink platforms beginning Monday afternoon in the Metro East. It's part of the transit agency's bigger plan to increase safety across the board.
The new security changes will start at the Emerson Park MetroLink Station in East St. Louis on Monday afternoon. Riders will see manned security and new platform gates.
MetroLink officials are asking passengers at Emerson Park to give themselves some more time for their commute as they navigate the new security procedures.
According to MetroLink officials, security team members will manually operate the new gates until a fare collection system is installed and integrated with the gating system. Passengers will have to show the security officer a valid pass or transit ticket before boarding.
"You buy your ticket; you come up, you validate it, and the validator turns green. The security officer sees that you have a valid ticket, and they'll proxy cart you through the gate," said Kevin Scott, the GM of Security for Bi-State Development.
The gates at three other MetroLink stations in St. Clair County will also be manned in weekly phases starting later in September. If everything goes as planned, that'll start the week of Sept.16 at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Station; the week of Sept. 23 at the Washington Park Station; and the week of Sept. 30 at the College MetroLink Station. These four stations are the first group to receive the security gates and new fencing.
At the Emerson Park location alone, the number of cameras went from five to 35 and are viewed in real-time.
"Everybody wants to feel safe. No matter where you live or what walk of life you come from, all of our customers want to feel secure. We're exhausting all our options to provide as much of a safe environment to catch these trains as possible. We have significant camera coverage on each platform, and the gating system prevents altercations that start off of our property from flowing onto our property," Scott said.
Currently, installation of the security gates and fencing is underway at several stations in Missouri, including Delmar Loop, Forest Park-DeBaliviere, Central West End, Cortex, Grand, Union Station and Civic Center.
All 39 MetroLink stations should have these upgrades by January 2026.
For MetroLink riders using the Emerson Park location daily they appreciate the upgrades.
"It's going to stop a lot of trouble around here for people hopping on the Metrolink, causing problems, and hopefully it stops the crime too. Especially with the extra security guards that they have here and the changes that they're making to make sure that the community is safe," said rider Temestt Cole.
This is all a part of MetroLink's $52 million Secure Platform Plan. Another major part of the safety upgrades is the Real-Time Camera Center, which has been in operation since 2023. The transit system went from 800 cameras systemwide to over 1,800. All of those feeds are viewed in real time to ensure safety on the rail.