Boardings rise and ‘safety incidents’ drop at MetroLink stations with turnstiles

By Mark Schlinkmann | St. Louis Post-Dispatch (TNS)

ST. LOUIS — An increase in passenger boardings and a decline in “safety-related incidents” have occurred at the 11 MetroLink stations where new security turnstiles have been installed, Metro Transit officials say.

Metro said there have been about 1.37 million boardings at the 11 stations from January through May, up about 15% over the same period last year.

Across the entire 38-station MetroLink system in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Clair County, boardings also increased during the same period — by about 11%, to about 3.1 million. That continues an upward trend after ridership bottomed out during the pandemic.

Looked at another way, the agency said, about 60% of the increase in boardings through May was at the 11 stations with the new gates, which can be accessed only by showing a security guard a ticket or pass. Turnstiles will be installed at the other stations by early next year.

As for safety, Metro said, the number of incidents at the 11 stations in the January-through-May period dropped to 32 from 55.

System-wide, the number of incidents also is down, dipping to 215 from 251 in the same five-month period.

Metro officials say the safety data covers anything that could be charged criminally, from shootings to assault to robbery to weapons violations and trespassing.

Not included in the statistics are “code of conduct” violations such as smoking, said Kevin Scott, executive vice president of public affairs and security for the Bi-State Development Agency, which runs Metro.

The new turnstiles are part of a $61 million security upgrade that also includes a better camera system and extensive station fencing.

Scott said the statistics, while preliminary at this point, are encouraging.

“I think it’s a snapshot,” he said. “We really won’t know the entire impact (of the upgrade) until it’s all gated” and MetroLink’s new automated fare collection system is in place next year.

Until then, Metro security guards are manning the gates and checking fares.

---------------------------------------------

Don't Miss Stories Like This. Subscribe to the Transit Intelligence Newsletter

---------------------------------------------

The ticket gate system is a reverse of Metro’s longstanding policy of relying on fare enforcement conducted by roving security personnel on the trains.

Officials at Bi-State/Metro decided in 2021 to install turnstiles even though they weren’t recommended by a consulting firm hired to study MetroLink security, following several high-profile crimes on the rail line.

The consultant, WSP USA Inc., said there wasn’t much correlation between serious crime and fare evasion. WSP USA recommended other steps that Bi-State/Metro has mostly adopted, such as the expanded camera network.

But agency officials say the turnstiles will make passengers feel more secure and are needed to help build ridership.

Scott said the boarding statistics come from counts via automated sensors at doors to the train cars.

The biggest increase in boardings so far has occurred at the Forest Park-DeBaliviere station, where passenger counts for the first five months of this year increased about 56%, to 331,132 from 212,447.

Other big percentage increases have been at the Emerson Park station in East St. Louis (about 57%) and Union Station (about 25%). There also were increased boardings at the Central West End, Grand and Delmar stations.

But some stations with the new gates have had decreases, including the Civic Center station in downtown St. Louis, which saw a decline in boardings of more than 13%, to 156,423 from 180,883 in January through May of 2024.

Scott said he believes most of the decline there was due to fewer people loitering and boarding at that site without paying a fare. He said that was a prime spot for such activity.

Another decrease was at the station in the Metro East city of Washington Park, which had a 28% decline in boardings, to 25,893 from 36,110.

He attributed much of that to Metro’s decision to close a secondary entrance, which used to draw a lot of non-paying riders.

Moreover, Scott said, that former entrance connected to vacant lots where people involved in crimes would flee. If that area is developed in the future, he said, Metro would consider reopening the entrance.

The Washington Park station also had one of the biggest decreases in safety-related incidents for the January-through-May period, to 6 from 12.

There were also declines in boardings at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee station in East St. Louis, the College station in Belleville and the Cortex station in St. Louis.

-------------------

Copyright 2025 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit www.stltoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Daily News Briefing