Metra will no longer staff Mokena station

Metra announced Tuesday that sales have declined so much at its Mokena ticket office that it will not staff the location after Sept. 8.

The Mokena station, a stop on the Rock Island Line that goes to and from Joliet and Chicago, has seen sales decline as passengers have switched to online and mobile purchases. A news release from Metra said that “many Metra stations” have seen these changes.

In June, customers at the Mokena station purchased 1,381 tickets, the second-lowest number of tickets sold on the line after the 111th Street/Morgan Park station, which also will lose staffing. Each station serves about 600 weekday passengers, according to Metra.

After Sept. 8, customers can use cash to purchase a one-way ticket on board from a conductor at no extra cost. In addition, customers can purchase tickets from an agent or vending machine at all five downtown stations, online at metrarail.com or through the free Ventra App, available in the App Store and Google Play. Metra listed 15 other stations throughout its vast network that have ceased staffing. Each of those positions also were eliminated through attrition.