New fare gates open Oct. 1 at North Station
Passengers will need to tap in and out
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STARTING OCTOBER 1, commuter rail passengers will be required to tap, scan, or swipe their tickets or passes at 30 newly installed fare gates before boarding or exiting trains at North Station.
Currently, commuter rail passengers show their tickets or buy them from conductors on board trains. The T has also experimented with having staff check the tickets of passengers before they board trains.
The new ticket-checking arrangement is designed to cut down on fare evasion and will later be expanded to South Station and Back Bay Station with the addition of new gates at those locations.
MBTA officials said passengers should hang on to their ticket media after boarding because conductors will check on board to make sure the tickets are for the right zone. Commuter rail ticket prices depend on the distance traveled between zones.
The new fare gates should allow passengers to scan bar codes on mTickets, paper tickets, and Amtrak tickets; tap Charlie Cards; or slide the magnetic stripe with Charlie tickets.