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Great Lakes Metra

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Great Lakes Metra
Posted by wilmette2210 on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 11:36 PM

Hi I would like to know why the Metra Station at Great Lakes has office space for a ticket agent but no agent working there?  Dose anyone know if Metra Plans on assigning an agent to great lakes if so when?  Please let me know thank you

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Posted by MILW205 on Thursday, June 4, 2009 10:02 AM

wilmette2210

Hi I would like to know why the Metra Station at Great Lakes has office space for a ticket agent but no agent working there?  Dose anyone know if Metra Plans on assigning an agent to great lakes if so when?  Please let me know thank you

There are basically three flavors of Metra stops: 1) higher-volume stops that have ticket agents; 2) medium-volume stops that used to have agents but no longer do; 3) lower-volume stops that just have a platform or a small waiting room (i.e. no agent space).

I don't have any specific info about the Great Lakes stop, but it would appear that Great Lakes falls in the second category.  When Metra removes agent coverage for a station, it has a couple of options: 1) leave the existing station as is, but close off the agent space (or close the building entirely in some cases); 2) tear down the old station and build a new, smaller one that doesn't have agent space.

It costs a lot more money to build a new station than to simply close off the agent space / shut the existing building entirely.  Plus, if in some point in the future traffic picks up and Metra determines that they want to reinstate agent coverage, then if they've kept the old station, all they need to do is reopen the agent space, not spend even more money rebuilding/expanding.  Hence, the most cost-effective solution results in numerous stations around the system having vestigal agent space.

 

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Posted by wilmette2210 on Friday, June 5, 2009 12:00 AM
Then can someone please explain why the college avenue station in wheaton used to not have a ticket agent but as of last summer Metra assinged an agent to work there? Please let me know thank you.  BTW I read this in an article and someone posted this on another railroad fourm website.
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, June 5, 2009 6:45 AM

The new Oak Lawn station on the Southwest Service was built with a ticket agent's office but is currently unmanned.  This may have been in anticipation of heavier off-peak passenger counts in the future, especially since the recent expansion of service on this line.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by wilmette2210 on Friday, June 5, 2009 10:44 PM

Do you think an agent will ever assigned to Oak Lawn?

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Posted by NYC Mercury on Thursday, June 18, 2009 2:11 PM

Yes having served and worked there the office is for Navy Personell the logistics of moving large numbers of men in war time on and off the base.

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Posted by HarveyK400 on Friday, June 26, 2009 10:45 AM

Despite being on Buckley Rd/IL-137, Great Lakes has not been exploited as a commuter stop.  There is not a lot of parking available at the station, maybe ~100 spaces along the former CNS&M row.  More parking could be added, but a significant increase would require cooperation of the Navy to relinquish property or relocate facilities.

I imagine most "commuting" is done by civilian and Navy personnel working at the Training Center.  The greatest peak demand still comes from personnel on weekend liberty going to see the sights in Chicago.  Navy personnel and families at the base travel at all times of the day.

I remember when a thousand sailors would pour out of a Saturday morning train.  That would have been a lot of cash fares.  I don't know how that was handled then; but that volume is not the case today.

College Avenue was rebuilt recently with expanded parking serving more travelers to warrant an agent. 

 

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Posted by aricat on Saturday, July 18, 2009 6:28 AM

North Chicago has been the best station to serve Great Lakes since it is much more easily accessable to the part of the base where the Service Schools are which is called mainside. The Great Lakes station is near Recruit Training Command (Boot camp).They only use the station on Boot Liberty days.

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Posted by HarveyK400 on Saturday, July 18, 2009 12:16 PM

aricat

North Chicago has been the best station to serve Great Lakes since it is much more easily accessable to the part of the base where the Service Schools are which is called mainside. The Great Lakes station is near Recruit Training Command (Boot camp).They only use the station on Boot Liberty days.

 

That may be so; but non-uniformed passengers can be seen on the trains throughout the week, suggesting use by dependents, civilian employees, and commuters and day-trippers from outside the base as well.

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Posted by wilmette2210 on Sunday, September 27, 2009 1:33 PM

I just realized something, apparently in that circular pullout area where the cabs sit there is a parking space for a ticket agent, with a sing that says, "UPRR agent parking only," could someone please explain why if Metra has no agent working there they have a parking space for one? Please let me know thank you. 

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