Metra’s Winnetka station to close ticket office in February

Metra passengers who leave from the north suburban Winnetka station will no longer be able to buy tickets at its ticket office after Feb. 22, the transit agency said.

Instead, they can use the Ventra smartphone app or pay cash to on-board conductors for one-way tickets, according to a Wednesday news release from Metra. The free app can be downloaded through Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

Other ticket offices in the nearby Wilmette, Evanston Davis, Evanston Central and Highland Park stations will remain open, Metra said.

Metra cited low use of its Winnetka’s ticket office, which sells the fewest tickets at a staffed station of the entire system.

The closure follows other shutterings of suburban ticket offices as those sales decline amid the rise of the Ventra app, Metra said. About 43 percent of Metra passengers buy tickets through the smartphone app now.