New Subway Fare Gates and Platform Barriers Fail to Impress New Yorkers

Transit officials have struggled for years with two of the subway system’s most vexing problems: the dozens of people struck by trains every year and the millions of dollars lost to fare beaters. In the latest efforts to find solutions, they are testing new fare gates to stop turnstile jumpers and metal platform barriers to keep riders safe.

New Yorkers have not been impressed.

At the 191st Street station on the No. 1 line in Manhattan, rows of waist-high, canary yellow screens made of perforated metal were bolted onto the platforms earlier this month. The simple fences bridged gaps between the station’s pillars but still left ample openings in which riders could reach the tracks or fall on them.

About 15 miles away at the Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue station in Queens, transit crews have replaced the system’s familiar turnstiles with glowing green fare gates that feature panels that swing open like saloon doors. Some transit riders who wanted to avoid paying their fares had already discovered that they didn’t need to jump over these gates: The panels opened so slowly that two people could squeeze in at once.

The pilot projects are trying to solve intractable problems. Over the last three years, as more riders have returned to transit, more have been hit and killed by trains. And fare evasion drains millions of dollars annually from a system that, until recently, had been on the brink of a fiscal crisis.

During an evening rush hour last week, riders gave poor reviews to the metal barriers in Manhattan, which are being added in three other stations.

“Another waste of money,” said Rebeca Madrigal, 50, a teacher who works near the 191st Street station. “They should use it on more service.”