Metra ups police presence on trains

Now’s probably not a good time to scalp Blackhawks tickets on board Metra trains.

Passengers will be seeing an increased Metra police presence on trains, in commuter parking lots and on platforms, the agency announced Wednesday.

The agency employs more than 100 officers who handle incidents on the system. However, the extra police will be limited to the seven lines the agency operates: the Milwaukee Districts North and West, the North Central Service, the Heritage Corridor, SouthWest Service, Rock Island and Electric District.

Nearly 200 foot patrols occurred in a three-day period in May offering a more visible presence to riders, Police Chief James Sanford said.

There is a relatively low crime rate on Metra and the added patrols were not related to any spike in arrests or violations, officials said.

“There is no particular reason, other than the fact that we want to be more proactive and more deliberately visible to our riders,” spokesman Michael Gillis said.

The BNSF and Union Pacific train lines are operated by the railroads that own them.