MTA fare gates pilot brings final gates to 23 St–Baruch

The MTA fare gates pilot reached the 23 St–Baruch College subway station on Jan. 22, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority installed the third and final design in its citywide test.

Built by Korean tech company STraffic, this model completes the set of fare gates the agency has been evaluating across the system, alongside the broader modern fare gates effort described on the MTA’s Modern fare gates project page.

Instead of turnstiles, the newest setup uses tall glass doors. The earlier pilot gates came from Conduent and Cubic Transportation Systems, both of which have installed similar gates in other major cities. Cubic also developed the One Metro New York fare system, which officially replaced the MetroCard as of Jan. 1, 2026.

Fare evasion drives the MTA fare gates pilot

The hardware is meant to curb fare evasion subway losses, a persistent issue the MTA has struggled to control. A study from the Citizens’ Budget Commission estimated the agency lost about $350 million to unpaid subway fares in 2024, as outlined in its No Fare analysis. In that context, the pilot gives the agency another opening to reduce losses that have been rising since the start of the pandemic.

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From JFK Airport station tests to a 150-station plan

The fare gate program began in December 2023, when the MTA first tested wide-aisle gates at the JFK Airport station in Jamaica, Queens. Since then, it has piloted other designs at 20 stations across the city—an effort previously covered by Railway Supply. In the next few years, fare gates are set to be installed at 150 stations, with the goal of serving 75% of riders by the end of 2029.

Meanwhile, the MTA has kept adjusting existing turnstiles. Spiked partitions and plastic paddles have been added to current turnstiles, exit gates have been updated with delayed egress locks, and police presence has increased at various locations. As a result, the agency has begun to see its first downward trend in fare evasion in a long while.

Rider complaints and next stations in the pilot rollout

Even with those changes, riders have reported issues with gates across all three models. Some commuters have had their heads stuck between the gates’ doors, while others have posted methods to bypass them on social media. NY1 has also reported that the new model can stay open too long, allowing fare evaders to pass through.

Despite the complaints, the MTA has not paused the rollout. It plans to keep installing this model at the remaining stations in the pilot program. Upcoming stations to be outfitted with new fare gates include Crown Heights–Utica Avenue on the 3 and 4 lines, Delancey Street on the F, M, J and Z lines, and Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue on the E, F, M, R and 7 lines.

As the MTA continues to test the gates and expand the pilot, officials will evaluate how each model performs before selecting a design to install at the remaining 150 stations. “As we evaluate their performance, we’re learning more every day about how to design modern, effective fare gates for New York City,” MTA spokesperson Eugene Resnick said in a statement.

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