MBTA: Commuter Rail Fare Gates Coming to Two Train Stations This Year
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) plans to have fare gates operational at South Station by the summer of 2025 and at Back Bay Station by the fall of 2025. This announcement follows criticism from a state watchdog group that questioned the MBTA’s fare collection process.
MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said that MBTA officials decided to speed up the deployment of the fare gates at South Station and Back Bay Station to incorporate similar technology used at North Station. The fare gates ensure that passengers pay their fares before boarding trains.
In a statement shared with WBUR, Eng said MBTA officials were told that installation of the fare gates at South Station and Back Bay Station couldn’t proceed until 2026 due to private development projects at both locations. “The construction footprints prevented us from installing the gates and paths of travel in accordance with building codes. We found the timeline to be unacceptable, and we worked with the developers to accelerate the schedule for installing fare gates,” Eng said.
On Tuesday, March 4, Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro released a three-page letter that called the MBTA to put a renewed focus on improving commuter rail fare collection. In the letter, Shapiro called the scope of uncollected fare “greatly understated over the years.”
Eng responded to Shapiro’s criticism, saying the accusations in the letter do not account for everything the MBTA is doing to address commuter rail fare collection.
“The complexities and significant costs associated with installing fare gates at 140 outdoor Commuter Rail platforms cannot be overstated,” Eng said. “Such an effort would require the MBTA to prioritize fare gates over critical maintenance and infrastructure needs directly associated with the delivery of safe and reliable service. Introducing fare gates at targeted, strategic locations is a far more effective solution.”
