By Paul Gonzales, December 6, 2013
The next step in latching
gates on the Metro Rail system begins Wednesday, December 11, 2013 as
five Blue Line stations will be updated and secured. Blue Line stations
with existing turnstiles will be latched, including Slauson, Firestone,
Compton, Artesia and Del Amo stations.
Fourteen stations on the
Metro Green Line are scheduled to begin latching on December 18, with
work expected to be completed by February, 2014. The latching of Metro
Rail gates began June 19, 2013 at Union Station on the Red/Purple subway
lines and was completed in August and 5 Gold Line stations were latched
in October. When completed, 41 of 80 Metro Rail stations will be
latched to provide fuller integration in the TAP universal fare system.
Metro and its transit partners have been rolling out TAP for several years and in addition to tracking fares, TAP gathers data on passenger usage so service can be adjusted to demand.
Metro is monitoring TAP’s progress to determine its impact on fare evasion. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and civilian security personnel provide added security on board trains and buses as well as at transit facilities and stations. They randomly check patrons on trains and stations using electronic fare checkers to ensure proper payment is made. With the new fare gating system in place, Metro can better monitor passenger flow and usage of rail stations.