MBTA General Manager Phil Eng waits on a North Station platform on Feb. 12, 2024. Photo by Chris Lisinski | State House News Service
The MBTA expects fare gates to be operational at two more Boston commuter rail hubs later this year, the T’s general manager said after a state watchdog criticized the agency’s approach to fare collection.
T boss Phil Eng said agency officials pushed to speed up deployment of fare gates at South Station and Back Bay Station, which will complement similar technology in place at North Station. The gates are designed to ensure that passengers are paid up before they board trains.
Officials first described plans for fare gates at those three stations as far back as 2017.
“Last year, after inquiring, we were informed that the installation of fare gates at Back Bay and South Stations could not start until 2026 due to the 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 in a statement. “This spring, the installation work gets underway at South Station, and by this summer, the fare gates will be activated. At Back Bay Station, the fare gates will be operational in the fall. ”
Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro on Tuesday published a three-page letter to Eng calling for renewed focus on improving commuter rail fare collection, and describing the scale of uncollected fares as “greatly understated over the years.”
Eng replied that the letter “does not capture all of our efforts” regarding commuter rail fare collection. He pointed out that commuter rail fare revenue has increased significantly over the past three years, as have scans of mobile mTickets by conductors.
“The complexities and significant costs associated with installing fare gates at 140 outdoor Commuter Rail platforms can not be overstated. 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,” he said. “Introducing fare gates at targeted, strategic locations is a far more effective solution.”
