The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has awarded a contract valued at up to $75 million to Indra Group to modernize fare vending systems across the Washington Metro network.
The project includes the design, manufacture, installation, and maintenance of up to 450 customer terminals at 98 rail stations and WMATA training and testing facilities. The contract carries a base value of $38.9 million and includes options that could increase the total value to $75 million.
The new terminals will replace existing fare vending machines and introduce updated payment technologies, including account-based ticketing, contactless bank card payments, smartphone payments, and digital wallets. The system will also integrate with WMATA’s existing fare collection and access control infrastructure.
WMATA plans to deploy the terminals across the Metro’s rail network, which serves the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region. The devices will feature larger touchscreen displays, multilingual support in up to 15 languages, and accessibility features designed to meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Indra Group will manufacture part of the equipment at its facility in Olathe, Kansas. The company will also provide maintenance services for the new system under a 15-year agreement.