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Community Corner

MTA Ticket Booth Closing For Good

The ticket booth at Harrison's train station is closing for good at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

At 2 p.m. Tuesday the ticket booth at Harrison's Metro-North Railroad station will close for good.

Passengers who rely on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will have to purchase their tickets at electronic ticket stations, online or onboard the train.

Customers didn't seem fazed by the change Tuesday morning. Customers waited inside the heated ticket booth area, but none purchased their tickets from the booth.

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"Machines are ok.I sometimes use the booth, but not much," said Odwan Bernard.

Harrison's train station joins six other MTA stations losing their ticket stand, including Larchmont, Chappaqua and Fleetwood.After the closings, the railroad will still staff ticket windows at 24 stations, including Grand Central Terminal.

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Railroad Spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said the move will save $1.1 million in 2010, but no jobs will be lost. She said there are enough vacancies elsewhere in the railroad to absorb them all.

According to Anders, the closures are occurring at stations with the least amount of ticket window traffic.

In November, only 14 percent of tickets sold at Harrison's Metro-North station were sold at the ticket window. That's only 2,394 of the 17,673 tickets sold that month.

"Our machines are wildly popular because they're easy to use," Anders said.

The MTA has received a few complaints about the booth closings, but not too many, according to Anders.

"People who are traditionally the most reluctant to try the ticket machines are elderly people but there is no onboard charge for senior citizens," Anders said.

The building that houses the ticket window will remain open in the mornings and early afternoons as they are now. Custodians will unlock and close the building.

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