STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Before the end of January, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to install fare evasion barriers at most stations within the New York City subway system.
During a board meeting on Monday, MTA officials announced they were on track to install anti-fare evasion equipment throughout the subway system.
According to public documents from the agency, the MTA will install the anti-fare evasion equipment at another 129 stations before the end of January 2026.
This is in addition to the 327 stations within the system that already have fare gate modifications installed, according to the documents.
Including the upgrades made by early next year, just 16 stations in the subway system would be without the metal side spikes or plastic turnstile fins intended to prevent leaping over fare gates.
During the meeting, New York City Transit president Demetrius Crichlow said that there was an up to 60% reduction in fare evasion at stations with these devices installed.
“Some members of the public might think these interventions just look funny, but the truth of the matter is these modifications work,” Crichlow said.
The upgrades will cost the MTA around $7.3 million, according to publicly available documents.
These physical upgrades are in addition to other changes the agency has made to combat fare evasion on the trains.
Starting last year, turnstiles around the city were upgraded to prevent “back-cocking,” a technique in which the turnstile is pulled or passed back so a person can slink through.
At the time, the MTA said that the upgraded turnstiles reduced back-cocking at stations by 80%.