Commuters will notice new, taller and stronger fare gates up at the Fort Totten Metro station Tuesday morning.
Fort Totten is the first of 10 stations to receive new gates over the next few months, Metro officials said. They are a part of Metro's latest effort to reduce fare evasion in the transportation system.
“It’s a start, whatever gets people to pay their fares and keeps prices where they’re at, I’m all for it,” rider Nick Griggs said.
Metro tested the gates for months and said the gates are twice as strong as the prototypes that were introduced earlier this year. The new doors are 55 inches and made of polycarbonate.
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“The bottom line is fare evasion is not okay, and we will continue our efforts to ensure everyone is respecting the community’s system and each other," Metro General Manager Randy Clarke said in a release.
Rider Greg Poag believes Metro should also focus on safety as they install the gates at nine other Metro stations.
“It should be more officers down in the station and on trains, you know, more so than worrying about fare jumpers,” Poag said.
Two people were injured in a shooting at Fort Totten Station last Thursday night. In May, a teenager was shot and killed on a Green Line train at the Navy Yard Station.
“I think everything is a ripple effect,” rider Shikyra Jones said. “So, it can stop a lot of things whether it be on the outside or the inside, because you can just walk through those barriers.”
Jones said she is somewhat indifferent about fare evaders but understands why Metro is adding new gates.
“I won’t say I care personally because I’m not sure exactly what funds Metro completely, to know if it affects me, but for the most part I think it’s very common,” Jones said.
On Monday, News4 saw a dozen people evade the new fare gates. Some went through the gates and others climbed over.
The gates will next be installed at Pentagon City, followed by the Bethesda, Vienna, Mount Vernon Square, Addison Road, Congress Heights, Wheaton, Federal Center SW and Court House stations. Metro said it plans to finish installing the gates by the fall.
Metro previously told News4’s Adam Tuss that the new gates will cost $35 to $40 million to install.
