Station Preparation Work to Begin This Month, Gates To Be Installed Starting in Q4 This Year
New Gates Have Been Used by 63 Million Riders; Improve Accessibility and Customer Flow
Announcement Marks Major Progress in Modernizing Transit Experience and Improving Fare Compliance and Accessibility
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the results of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) subway fare gate pilot, which saw fare evasion decline by an average of 35 percent at the 20 stations where new, modern gates have been installed. Following this successful pilot, Governor Hochul also announced the next 20 subway stations that will receive new fare gates across all entrances, marking major progress to strengthen the system against fare evasion, modernize the system, and improve accessibility and customer experience. The MTA qualified three vendors – Cubic, STraffic, and Conduent – to submit bids and compete to deliver the next generation of fare array systems at an additional 20 stations across Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. Bids for the first phase of the new fare gate program will be submitted this month, with new gates beginning to be installed by the end of 2026.
“The data is clear: these new fare gates have created a better riding experience for customers and made it harder for would-be fare evaders to enter the system without paying,” Governor Hochul said. “Now, we’re ramping up our plan to install these world-class fare gates across the subway system so even more riders can benefit. New York’s transit renaissance is powered by historic investments in aging infrastructure and improvements to safety and reliability, and by replacing turnstiles that date back to the token-era, we can achieve the twin benefits of accessibility upgrades and reduced fare evasion that riders deserve.”
This initiative, part of the 2025-2029 Capital Plan, is a generational investment of $1.1 billion to upgrade fare control areas across 150 stations. Following the pilot, the next 20 stations represent the first phase of the broader 150 station overhaul, which will see modern fare gates installed at stations serving nearly three quarters of all daily subway riders. The rollout of modern fare gates will continue into 2027, with a second phase consisting of 30 additional stations under construction by the end of next year. Between the pilot stations and phases one and two, 70 subway stations will be outfitted with modern fare gates.
In December 2023, the MTA issued a Request for Information (RFI) to identify qualified firms to design modern fare gates that met specified technical requirements. Three vendors advanced to the piloting phase and provided new gates at no cost to the MTA at a total of 20 stations for a chance to prove they can work in the New York City transit system. Some stations received a fully replaced fare array, others received only a new wide-aisle access gate.
Last fall, the MTA began evaluating the new fare gates based on their impact on fare evasion, accessibility, customer experience, entry and egress throughput, maintenance, integration, and data and detection accuracy. Since the pilot began, roughly 29 million entries and 34 million exits have been recorded, and roughly 40 to 50 percent of typical daily subway riders have used the new gates at least once.
The stations that received new fare gates have experienced an average of a 35 percent reduction in fare evasion, with the largest decreases recorded at Hoyt St 2 3 and Nostrand Av A C, both with a 72 percent decrease, and 3 Av-138 St 6 with a reduction of 65 percent in fare evasion.
Throughout the pilot, the MTA made adjustments to the technology based on performance and customer feedback. These findings were critical in determining the final designs for the system. The next 20 stations slated to receive new fare gates will be:
Brooklyn
- 36 St DNR
- Bedford Av L
- Coney Island-Stillwell Av DFNQ
- Hoyt-Schermerhorn ACG
- Myrtle Av JMZ
- Newkirk Plaza BQ
Bronx
- 3 Av-149 St 25
- 161 St-Yankee Stadium 4BD
- Fordham Rd BD
- Parkchester 6
Manhattan
- 14 St-Union Sq 456LNQRW
- 72 St 123
- 86 St 456
- 125 St 456
- Chambers St 123
- Spring St CE
Queens
- Astoria Blvd NW
- Flushing-Main St 7
- Forest Hills-71 Av EFMR
- Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av-JFK Airport EJZ
The MTA is advancing the process of purchasing gates from the approved vendors for installation at the 20 stations listed. Early station preparation work is expected to begin in October 2026.
This comprehensive overhaul of the fare array system is the first in more than 30 years, when the MTA began installing the tri-wheel turnstiles in the early 1990s. This design dates back to the token-era and was not accessible for customers using wheelchairs, or traveling with strollers, or luggage. As a solution, the MTA created emergency exit gates to provide an entry and egress option with wider clearance for customers who could not use the traditional turnstiles.
In recent years, the emergency gate has become known as the “superhighway” for fare evasion, inviting opportunistic evaders, those who intend to pay but choose not to when they see others entering through an open emergency exit gate. The MTA has taken successful steps to reduce fare evasion through the exit gate, including replacing key locks at all gates, deploying gate guards, and implementing delayed egress. However, a full replacement of the fare arrays takes a comprehensive approach with a modern redesign that supports fare compliance while improving accessibility and the overall customer experience.
The stations where new fare arrays have already been installed include:
- Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av EFMR7
- 3 Av-138 St 6
- Bedford Park Blvd BD
- Broadway-Lafayette St BDFM/Bleecker St 6
- Flushing-Main St 7
- 125 St ABCD
- Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr BDNQR2345
- Nostrand Av AC
- Delancey St F/Essex St JMZ
- 42 St‐Port Authority ACE
- 23 St 6
- Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs LM
- 168 St AC1
- Crown Heights-Utica Av 34
- E 180 St 25
- Kingsbridge Rd BD
- Hoyt St 23
- Kings Hwy BQ
- 33 St 6
- Metropolitan Av G/Lorimer St L
No comments:
Post a Comment