Metra will no longer staff Lake Bluff ticket station

Metra will no longer staff a ticket station in north suburban Lake Bluff due to a decline in ticket sales at the station come December.

Union Pacific will no longer be staff the Lake Bluff station on the UP North line as of Dec. 8, according to Metra. More than 600 passengers board at the station each weekday.

Metra cited the changing way riders buy tickets, and said that 25 percent of riders now purchase their tickets electronically through the Venra App. In October, customers only purchased 271 tickets at the Lake Bluff station — the lowest number of tickets sold at all staffed stations on the UP North line.

After Dec. 8, customers will be able to purchase a one-way paper ticket from a conductor at no extra cost, Metra said. Customers can also purchase tickets from an agent or vending machine at any of the five downtown Chicago stations. Customers can use http://www.metrarail.com and the the free Ventra app to make their purchases electronically.

Even though the station will no longer be staffed for ticket sales, riders can still use the station facility at Lake Bluff, Metra said.