Open Unattended Stations

There's been some discussion in the SEPTA forum about how -- or whether it's possible at all -- to have outlying commuter stations open but unattended during hours of train service without severe vandalism. On my visits to Chicago I have seen a number of suburban stations which are open and unattended, at least during daylight hours, with no signs of vandalism at all. A trainman told me, specificially in connection with Antioch, that local police are pretty vigilant in keeping an eye on the station, and people know it. I believe many of these very attractive stations were built with funds raised by the localities in one way or another and that perhaps this gives them a proprietary interest in seeing that they don't get trashed. I'd be interested in any comments about how the Chicago area manages to keep outlying stations open, unattended, and presentable.

As far as I'm aware, many outlying Metra stations are unmanned after the inbound rush. Some have an enclosed building that is open to passengers, some are locked. It tends to vary by community with a bias for error toward the careful side.

Aside from their downtown terminals, the entire Electric district and North Central service lines have all unmanned stations. The Heritage Corridor is also entirely unmanned aside from both its terminals, and the SouthWest Service only has one station with an agent (aside from CUS).

Security provided by closed circuit TV.