South Station fare gates still out of service after snow storm

Local News

The fare gates have been out of service since last week, when Boston was hit with a major snowstorm.

The new South Station fare gates remained closed Tuesday night, more than a week after a major winter storm hit Boston, an MBTA spokesperson said.

“The South Station fare gates were taken out of service last week in the wake of a major winter storm that delivered heavy snow accumulations and bitter cold temperatures,” said a MBTA spokesperson.

Different parts of Boston saw between 16 and 23 inches of snow between Jan. 25 and 26.

Before the storm, in an attempt to protect the gates, commuter rail operator Keolis and Scheidt & Bachmann, the company that made the gates, shut down and wrapped the gates near track 13 to protect them from the elements, the MBTA said.

During the storm, large amounts of snow gathered in the concourse area, impacting the gates, the T said.

The shutdown comes about a month after the gates’ installation. 

In December, South Station installed 40 fare gates that require passengers to scan in and out using their purchased commuter rail ticket. The gates reportedly cost about $1.3 million to purchase from Scheidt & Bachmann and another $2 million to install.

“Keolis and Scheidt & Bachmann are assessing the impacts from the snow and taking necessary actions to return the gates to service as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the MBTA said.