ST. LOUIS (KTRS) The Bi-State Development agency board has approved a budget up to 20-million dollars for upgrades to security systems on its MetroLink trains. The Bi-State board approved the budget at its meeting this morning. A Bi-State Development spokeswoman says the agency must now go to St. Louis City, St. Louis and St. Clair County for approval of funds from those jurisdictions. It follows recent incidents of violence on MetroLink trains. The new budget would take effect with its next fiscal year that begins July first.

This week, St. Clair County officials said they are tripling the number of law enforcement officers on the trains and platforms during the “high crime evening hours.”

St. Louis County has already doubled its number of officers from 22 to 44 during the past year, as there are more than twice as many stations in Missouri.