Transportation
This will be the third MBTA station to have fare gates within the last four years.
The MBTA Ruggles Station will begin using fare gates for the Commuter Rail in August. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe
Commuter Rail fare gates at Ruggles Station will begin operating Aug. 3, MBTA officials announced Wednesday.
Passengers will be required to tap or scan their tickets at one of the seven new fare gates, which includes two wider paths designed to accommodate larger items, though conductors will still perform onboard ticket inspections, according to the MBTA.
Once installed, any rail rider who arrives at Ruggles without a ticket will be required to purchase one in order to leave the station, the transit agency said.
“The installation of Commuter Rail fare gates at Ruggles is just the next step by the MBTA as we follow through on our commitment to improve fare collection and reinvest back into the system that our riders depend on,” Interim Secretary of Transportation and MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng said in a statement.
The MBTA said implementing fare gates aims to improve fare collection, phase out platform ticket checks, and establish a more consistent fare-paying experience.
Customer service staff at Ruggles will be available to assist passengers with questions about the fare gates, the agency noted.
The upcoming installation will mark the third MBTA station to have fare gates installed within the last four years.
The system was previously introduced at North Station in 2022, despite drawing opposition from passengers.
Fare gates were added to South Station in 2025. Freezing temperatures and a major winter storm this past February forced the MBTA to disabled the South Station gates multiple times.
Since the South Station installation, transit officials said mTicket activations rose 32 percent compared to this time last year, and onboard ticket sales increased by 16 percent.
Back Bay Station is also scheduled to get Commuter Rail fare gates, with operations targeted to start in early 2027.
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