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MBTA Activates South Station Commuter Rail Fare Gates in Phased Rollout

The phased rollout is designed to curb fare evasion by requiring tap‑or‑scan access for Commuter Rail as well as Amtrak passengers.

Boston, MA -Passengers use the new South Station fare gates.
An Amtrak train pulls into the track area at Boston’s South Station.
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Overview

  • Initial gates went live Tuesday morning with partial activation, some confusion and brief malfunctions, but no major problems reported.
  • Riders must tap or scan to both enter and exit the track area, and conductors will continue onboard ticket checks to verify travel zones.
  • Accepted media include the mTicket app, CharlieCards and CharlieTickets with printed zones, $10 weekend paper tickets, Amtrak tickets, and active military IDs; stored‑value CharlieCards and contactless bank cards or mobile wallets are not accepted.
  • The station will ultimately have 40 gates, including 11 wider accessible lanes for wheelchairs, strollers, bikes, scooters, and luggage, with staff on site to assist during the phase‑in.
  • Officials say the system targets fare evasion and revenue loss, riders voiced both support and bottleneck concerns, and similar gates are slated for Back Bay and Ruggles in 2026 following North Station’s 2022 launch.