The MBTA plans to introduce fare collection gates at a third commuter rail station in the coming weeks, part of a years-long effort to crack down on fare evasion on the region-wide train network.

Beginning in early August, riders will pass through fare gates when boarding and disembarking commuter rail trains at Ruggles Station, on the border of Roxbury and Fenway, the T said Wednesday. The installation of fare gates at Ruggles follows their introduction at South Station in late December.

For commuter rail riders traveling through North Station, fare gates have already been the norm for more than three years.

After the introduction of fare gates at South Station, commuter rail ticket activations jumped 32% compared to the same period last year, according to the T. On-board ticket sales for commuter rail lines terminating at South Station increased 16%.

The gates require passengers to scan their commuter rail ticket to enter and exit the boarding platform. Once on board, conductors will also check each passenger’s ticket.

Expanding the commuter rail fare gates to Ruggles was long planned and originally scheduled to occur this past winter, according to the MBTA’s website.

Instead, the gates begin operating on Monday, Aug. 3, the T said.

The agency had previously planned to add similar gates at Back Bay Station by early this year. On Wednesday, the T said it’s now expected by early 2027.

Phillip Eng, the interim Massachusetts transportation secretary and MBTA general manager, said the addition of new fare gates reflected “our commitment to improve fare collection and reinvest back into the system that our riders depend on.”

The T is installing seven fare gates at Ruggles, including two wider, accessible gates. The gates will accept tickets purchased through the mTicket app, CharlieCards and CharlieTickets with printed zones, $10 Weekend Pass paper tickets, Amtrak tickets and active military IDs.

They do not accept tap-to-pay or the stored-value CharlieCards used for the subway system and bus.

Passengers paying reduced fares must still purchase a ticket.

Much like at North Station in 2022, the introduction of fare gates at South Station at the end of last year took some getting used to for many riders.

Some of the gates didn’t function smoothly at first, and passengers bottlenecked at the gates while navigating the new ticket-scanning process. A spokesperson for Keolis, the company that operates the commuter rail, said at the time that the kinks would be resolved as customers adjusted to the new system.

Keolis and MBTA staff will be stationed at Ruggles to help customers through the gates when they go into operation.

“The introduction of fare gates at Ruggles Station continues the effort to improve and modernize fare collection across the Commuter Rail system,” Keolis CEO and General Manager John Killeen said Wednesday. “Our goal is to make the transition as seamless as possible for passengers.”

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