Air marshals take to the rails

Metra will get an extra security boost starting in a few weeks with the addition of air marshals on trains.

Agency officials said Friday the U.S. Transportation Security Administration had offered its services and they had agreed to collaborate.

"It will increase the law enforcement presence at stations and in trains," Executive Director Phil Pagano said.

Uniformed marshals will drop by stations and ride on trains at random times. "It's not going to be every day on every train," Pagano said.

Air marshals are best known for traveling on planes as a measure to detect and prevent terrorism or sabotage but their role is expanding to other forms of transportation.

Integrating air marshals into commuter train systems is a nationwide trend, Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said. Marshals already work with the agency for special events such as July 4 and the Grant Park celebration the night of President Obama's election.