Sound Shore

I just got confirmation that Metro North will be shutting down several ticketing offices in Westchester County as a means to save money. Our transportation reporter Ken Valenti will have a story this weekend detailing the closures.

Among the ticket offices in the lower Westchester area that will be closed include Fleetwood, Harrison and Larchmont. Marlene Kolbert, a Larchmont village trustee, told me this afternoon the board is “shocked” by Metro North’s decision. She pointed out the Larchmont train station is one of the busiest stops on Metro North’s New Haven line.

“We have spent so much money on renovating the station and making it handicapped accessible so it’s just appallling,” Kolbert said. “I can’t believe this decision was done before Christmas.”

The ticketing offices are scheduled to close on Jan. 13. Riders will still be able to purchase tickets electronically at machines at each of the stations.

“The problem is we have a lot of senior citizens that use this station,” Kolbert said. “Plus a lot of people use the office to ask for information.”

According to Metro North’s November sales, 23,029 tickets were purchased at the Larchmont station. Around 10 percent of those tickets were purchased at the station’s ticket office.