Port Authority has closed the fare booths at the Fallowfield stop in Beechview on the Light Rail Transit system because of a "temporary staffing issue."

Spokesman Jim Ritchie said recent retirements of fare collectors left the authority shorthanded, and officials did not want to pay overtime to keep the booth open. Yesterday's closure means that riders who use the stop must board the first car of two-car trains during rush hours and pay their fares on board.

Although the closure was advertised on signs at the stop and in public-address announcements along the system, some outbound riders were caught unaware yesterday and trapped on the second cars of trains until they reached the Potomac station in Dormont.

Mr. Ritchie said the fare booths will stay closed at least until the next round of job picks for union employees in three months.

Port Authority has made no decisions about eliminating stops on the LRT system, something that was recommended in the final version of the authority's planned overhaul of all of its routes. Mr. Ritchie said the first step in implementing the plan in March will be to revise bus routes. Relocations and eliminations of stops will be in a later phase of the plan, he said.

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