Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — South Station is experiencing further setbacks with its newly installed fare gates.
Most of new fare gates are not faring well in frigid temperatures and are out of service once again.
Commuters saw this first occur two weeks ago when snow and bitter cold temperatures led to fare gates needing to be covered.
This time around, wind appears to be the main thing impacting them, blowing rain and snow onto the platform. This came as a big surprise for some commuters like Nate from Somerville.
"I'm glad they are getting this in place. Like previously it was, if you wanted to get on one of the trains and you weren't buying a ticket, you could so you could freeload on the system," Nate said. "I do appreciate they're making an effort to do it, but I don't know, hopefully they figure it out."
Read More: South Station Takes Its Fare Gates Out Of Service Due To Winter Weather
There is more freezing weather in the forecast, so riders will be finding out very soon if that too will impact their fare gate experience.
According to the National Weather Service, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday for parts of Massachusetts. The area is expected to see a mix of snow and sleet. Lows Friday are expected to dip below freezing at around 30 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
The initial installation of the gates in December received mixed reactions from commuters. Officials from Keolis Commuter Services say the gates were needed to help combat fare evasions.
In a statement to WBZ NewsRadio, Keolis Commuter Services said "the gates were designed and positioned in consideration of weather impacts" but acknowledged that wind is a "significant environmental factor." They also stated that even with the interruptions, "mTicket activations among passengers traveling to or from South Station are up 42% compared to the same period last year."
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojas.bsky.social) reports.