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  • Metro riders will soon see new, upgraded faregates as testing gets underway at six pilot stations

  • Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.
Discussion related to DC area passenger rail services from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, MD. Includes Light Rail and Baltimore Subway.

Moderators: mtuandrew, therock, Robert Paniagua

 #1574586  by davinp
 
Metro has begun public testing at six rail stations of new, modernized faregates that will replace Metro’s aging faregate technology. The new faregates will include enhanced safety features, larger displays, and faster processing that will make passing through the gates quicker and easier.

To help prepare and familiarize customers with the new gates, a limited pilot program will launch in June 2021 at six stations: Clarendon, Dunn Loring, Gallery Place, Glenmont, Waterfront and West Falls Church. All customers traveling through these six pilot stations will have the option of trying out the new faregate, whether they use a plastic SmarTrip® card or mobile pay.

“Metro’s faregates are more than 25 years old and at the end of their useful life,” said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Modernizing our fare payment technology will take Metro into the future. Customers can already pay with their mobile devices and soon new and improved faregates will make it quicker, and easier for anyone to ride.”

Image

https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Metro- ... bkIc0y7F3Q
 #1574613  by JDC
 
Reminds me somewhat of the test faregate Metro installed at Eisenhower Ave. several years ago during that pilot program. Unfortunately I could not participate because you needed to enter and exit the system from the test gates and there were no test gates near my destination downtown.
 #1590500  by JDC
 
In a press release today, Metro touted that the new faregates are installed at nearly 50% of stations. https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Farega ... ecards.cfm. I sure wish these press releases included some photos of the faregates 'in action'. Oh well. Separately, in that press release Metro announced upcoming deadlines as part of the phase-out of pre-2012 Smartrip cards.
 #1590564  by STrRedWolf
 
JDC wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 3:06 pm In a press release today, Metro touted that the new faregates are installed at nearly 50% of stations. https://www.wmata.com/about/news/Farega ... ecards.cfm. I sure wish these press releases included some photos of the faregates 'in action'. Oh well. Separately, in that press release Metro announced upcoming deadlines as part of the phase-out of pre-2012 Smartrip cards.
Yeah, new chips in the cards for more secure storage and transceving requires newer chips in the faregates... and given the faregates themselves, it was high time to replace them anyway.
 #1591778  by farecard
 
STrRedWolf wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:24 am

Yeah, new chips in the cards for more secure storage and transceving requires newer chips in the faregates... and given the faregates themselves, it was high time to replace them anyway.
But if I understood the outcome, WMATA is still stuck with Cubic.
 #1591790  by STrRedWolf
 
farecard wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:06 pm But if I understood the outcome, WMATA is still stuck with Cubic.
Cubic's smart enough to program newer readers for newer Mifare specifications... which requires the new chips to have that capability to be secure. They're the guys doing Chicago's CTA/PACE Ventra card.
 #1591860  by STrRedWolf
 
farecard wrote: Mon Feb 14, 2022 2:21 pm An insider told me that when Cubic was sued {& lost} re: patent infringement, WMATA ended up paying the damages.
Which suit? There's a ton of them I could find with just a google search.