CTA Installs ADA-Compliant Faregates

The Chicago Transit Authority will upgrade its rail stations with improved, ADA-compliant faregates.

CHICAGO – The Chicago Transit Authority will upgrade its rail stations with improved, ADA-compliant faregates.

In a news release, the CTA announces it will upgrade rail stations with improved faregates that comply with the ADA, or Americans with Disabilities Act. These will be “more reliable, taller, and more durable.” As of reporting, 24 of the new doors have been installed. The remaining 119 doors will be installed by early 2024.

The faregates will be doors that utilize an improved locking mechanism. While they will operate in the same way as before, they will use more reliable hardware. Additionally, the doors are taller and the exit button “will be more difficult to reach from the unpaid side,” therefore reducing fare evasion. 

President of the CTA, Dorval R. Carter, Jr., commented that the “installation of these new ADA faregates balance the agency’s goal of enhancing accessibility throughout the rail system, while also addressing concerns around individuals entering rail stations with the intent to disrupt our service or other riders.”

CTA ADA Compliance Programs Manager, Irma Gomez-Fierro commended the planned improvements, saying she is “glad that these new doors will be more reliable and durable for those who cannot use turnstiles and are dependent on these gates functioning properly. . . In addition, these new faregates will serve as an added safety measure, helping deter individuals from misusing the doors and preventing the wrong riders from utilizing an accessible entrance.”