The MetroLink gates are open, but tickets to open them won’t be available for another year

Bi-State Development, which operates public transit in the St. Louis region, is currently working on an ambitious plan to secure MetroLink platforms. Eight-foot-tall gates now protect four stops in the Metro East and seven more are under construction in the city of St. Louis.

But public transit users won’t be able to get anywhere anytime soon by swiping their ticket. Even with the gates going up now, Bi-State’s new fare collection system won’t be operational until January 2026. At closed MetroLink stations, a security guard will now let in each rider instead – a system that will also be the case at stations around the city once they become operational, says Melissa Webb, Bi-State’s director of security media and customer engagement.

It may seem jury-rigged, but Webb says the 24-hour staff was always the plan and 16 months of staffing costs are included in the budget. She portrays it as part of Bi-State’s education and community outreach plan, with staff helping people acclimate to the new closed platforms and providing a sense of security.

“People have said, ‘I don’t feel safe. “I’m just out there alone,” she says. “With this transit security team member, that feeling goes away. They provide a personal experience and give individuals the opportunity to feel safe.”

Bi-State has divided its MetroLink safety project into three “packages,” which can be viewed online. The security gates for Package 1 – half of the Metro East stations – are now operational (albeit with a little help from employee stealers). Security gates are currently under construction in Package 2, which includes seven stations from the Civic Center to the Delmar Loop. They should be operational before the end of the year.

After that, Bi-State plans to tackle stations in downtown St. Louis and St. Louis County, which Webb said are currently in the final design phase and will be put out for bid soon.

The new ticket validators (which will also be used on the MetroBus) will cost $2.8 million, while the ticket machines will cost $10.8 million. The security gates, a separate initiative from a separate department of Bi-State, are budgeted at $52 million.

Previously, Bi-State relied on the honor system with occasional random checks.

Why it matters: Some heavy transit users are unhappy with MetroLink’s new closed system and say the money would be better spent subsidizing more riders. The two-stage rollout has also come under criticism. Someone recently posted a video about his experience being shoplifted into a Metro East station, writing: “Absolute madness.”

Others have questioned how the gated/guarded system can possibly compete with the city’s busier train stations, such as the one in the Central West End.

What’s next: Webb emphasizes that the system is flexible. If a high volume of traffic is expected at a station – for example after a sports game – you can open the gates and allow people to pass freely, she says. “We can make adjustments.” She expects passengers will be happy with the changes over time.