Ticket Office To Close At Winnetka Metra Station

WINNETKA, IL — Metra is shuttering the ticket office at its Winnetka station before the end of the month due to declining sales. On-site sales of tickets at the Union Pacific North Line station will end permanently at the close of business on Friday, Feb. 22, the railway announced Wednesday.

The 754 Elm St. station sold the fewest tickets of any staffed location on the entire Metra system. It is presently staffed on weekdays between 5:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to Metra.

The Winnetka Station has about 740 customers passing through the station every weekday, Metra said. Its ticket office sold an average of 610 tickets per month in 2018 and only 432 tickets in December.

Less than two years ago, ticket agents in Winnetka sold about 1,000 tickets every month, Metra said at the time. About 43 percent of customers now buy tickets through the Ventra app.

Metra said it has eliminated on-site ticket sales at more than a dozen stations as passengers shift to mobile purchasing.

Five ticket offices on the UP North Line — Glencoe, Kenilworth, Hubbard Woods and Lake Bluff — have closed in recent years. Riders can still buy tickets from agents at the Central Street or Davis Street stations in Evanston, Highland Park or Wilmette.

After Feb. 22, customers can buy one-way tickets from conductors on board with cash or purchase tickets through the app.

Related:

• Metra Cuts Agents From Kenilworth Station
  
• Ticket Agent Dropped at Lake Bluff Metra Station
  
• Ticket Office Closes At Glencoe Metra Station