BOSTON (WHDH) - The new Commuter Rail fare gates at South Station were under wraps and out of order Tuesday, five weeks after first going into use.
The gates were covered in brown tarps and shrink wrap on Monday, allowing commuters to pass through them without paying a fare.
“I had been hearing about problems with the gates and what a pain they were, so when I saw they were open I was like, ‘yay,'” said Laurel Caprender, an MBTA commuter.
The gates, which were installed in December, require commuters to tap or scan their tickets before entering or exiting the track area.
Keolis, the company that manages the Commuter Rail, said the gates stopped working because of the recent winter storm.
“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,” a Keolis spokesperson said. “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.”
“I mean if they cant’ take the cold weather, they are going to have to shut them down every now and then,” said one commuter. “Especially this winter, I mean what’s really the point.”
Officials are working on a long-term plan so the gates can reliably operate at South Station.
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