Metra to close ticket office on BNSF Line

Metra next month will close the ticket office at its Stone Avenue Station in LaGrange, Illinois, due to declining on-site sales.

BNSF Railway Co. will stop providing a ticket agent at the office at the close of business on Aug. 4.

After that date, customers will be able to use cash to purchase a one-way ticket from an onboard conductor. In addition, riders can purchase tickets from an agent or vending machine at all five downtown stations, online or through the Ventra app.

Although the ticket office will close, passengers still will have access to the station facility, where more than 1,000 people board each weekday.

The Stone Avenue Station's ticket sales in May totaled $57,318 — a figure that was among the lowest on the BNSF Line to Aurora, Illinois, Metra officials said in a press release.

In addition, ticket sales have fallen at many Metra stations as passengers have switched to online and mobile purchasing.

"Technology is changing the way Metra customers are buying tickets," said Metra Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Don Orseno. "We continue to look for ways to be more efficient with our limited resources and eliminating ticket agent positions at locations where sales aren’t high enough to warrant staffing is simply a good business practice."

On-site ticket sales previously were eliminated at the Riverside and Brookfield stations on the BNSF Line. In March, Metra closed ticket offices at stations on the UP West and UP North lines.