Day 67: The Heart of the Old in the New(er)

     In 1911, the Chicago and North Western Railway built a railroad station in order to replace the aging Wells Street station.  This was still the era of the classic stations(i.e. Dearborn Station)  The station itself was designed by the same team who put up the original LaSalle Street Station in 1903.  The main station house featured a gloriously appointed waiting room, as well as a concourse for intercity passengers, washrooms, and dressing rooms. The station even included a doctor's office.  Over the years, the station served some of the most well-known and loved train lines, including the famed "City" trains run by the Union Pacific Railroad.

     Unfortunately, like all good things, this too had to come to an end. The era of train travel in America had been on the downturn ever since the 1960s, when cars and the highway system provided Americans with an opportunity to get places faster and cheaper than the train.  In 1969, Chicago's Grand Central Station closed, and the two remaining lines from that station moved into the Chicago and North Western's Terminal.  On May 1, 1971, Amtrak assumed operations of most of the country's intercity rail lines.  Consequentially, those lines that were to be taken over ceased operation the day before the changeover.

     In 1974, with encouragement from Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie, the Illinois General Assembly created the Regional Transportation Authority.  The RTA was tasked with administering all the commuter rail coming in and out of Chicago.  Ten years later, the RTA created Metra, a unified body responsible for all of the city's commuter rail.  Around this same time, the old Chicago and North Western station was being renovated.  In a radical move, the entire 1911 head house was demolished and replaced with a 42-story office building. The renovations were completed by 1987.

     In 1991, Metra bought the train shed from the Chicago and North Western and assessed its condition.  The conclusion was reached that repairs were needed to shore up the integrity of the building.  The renovations posed an interesting challenge, since the station was to remain open during the renovation, which included repainting the entire station, replacing all of the tracks, and very extensive structural repairs.  After 4 years and $138 Million, the renovation was completed in 1995.  2 years after that, the station was renamed to honor Richard Ogilvie.

     Entering the station today, you're immediately confronted by a large glass-filled atrium with various shops.  From there, you can either go further into the lower level and run into the food court, with its selection of anything from Panda Express, to Chutney Joe's, to Popeye's, and even an old standard like Taco Bell.  After you get done eating, you go up the escalator to the ticket counters, where you can purchase carriage aboard any of the 3 lines that serve Ogilvie Station.  After you've bought your ticket, the first instinct is to board the train.  But hold up there for a second.  If you walk all the way down the platform, you'll see a descending stairway.  Follow those stairs down and you'll be in the MetraMarket, which features more restaurants, a drug store, multiple other retail stores, and even a French Market.  After that, you can feel free to board your train and depart the same station that one would have departed over a hundred years ago, while having just experienced the amenities of today.  How's that for progress?

Day 42: The Station in The Park

     Imagine for a second the city of the future. Commuting in on a sleek, quietly-running electric train car, then disembarking into a subterranean station appointed with all manner of kiosks and shops. Then on your way out, you pass a connection to a great underground walkway connecting you to half of the city. And then to top it all off, you emerge into a beautifully arranged park, with any number of cultural locales at your fingertips. Now what if that fantasy were to become a reality? Well actually, it already is a reality right now. Welcome to Millennium Station.

     First off, a little back story: in 2004, Millennium Park was finally completed(albeit four years late). Along with being one of the crowning achievements of Mayor Richard M. Daley, the park also served to beautify what for many decades had been an open-air train yard. That yard had served Metra Electric trains,(as well as the NICTD's South Shore Line) for many years under the name Randolph St. Station. When Millennium Park was built, Randolph Station became fully enclosed. The station itself had been a very spartan place for years, and so it was decided to spruce it up a bit. The new Millennium Station opened its doors in 2005.

     As preciously mentioned, the station serves the Metra Electric line(which is also serviced by Van Buren St. Station, making it the only Metra line served by two different downtown stations.), as well as the South Shore Line in the track level. Along with the preexisting trackage, the station features a centralized ticket counter and waiting area. There are a variety of shops on the Mezzanine level, as well as a walkway to the South Shore gates. At the exit to the station, you can choose to either walk upstairs into Millennium Park, connect to the Pedway system, or take an elevator up into the lobby of the Cultural Center. Wherever you decide to go, Chicago's newest Metra station is a fitting tribute to the city motto: Urbs in Horto(which means City in a Garden), as well as a tantalizing glimpse into the future.

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Day 6: An Electric Station

     Today we are continuing the mini-tour we've been on of the South Loop with this: Today's entry requires a little background information. Chicago's commuter rail system(Metra) has 5 origin stations in Downton Chicago, which branch out to more than 200 suburban stations.  Today we'll be looking at one of the five downtown stations.  Located (once again) in the South Loop, Metra's Van Buren Street Station is one of two downtown terminals that serves the Electric District.  The Electric District has been around in one form or another since 1856. When it was first built, the line ran into Chicago on a railway bridge overhanging Lake Michigan.  After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the debris was dumped into the lake, forming what we know of today as Grant Park, but also makng the tracks land-based. From there, the RTA(and then Metra) was formed, which bought the line in 1987.

     Now that we have that out of the way, back to the observations.  There are numerous entrances to the station, and once you get down there, you walk down a tunnel to get to the station proper. At this point, you find yourself in the ticket office, where you can either go to the ticket counter to buy a Metra ticket, utilize one of the vending machines to do so, or buy a ticket for the South Shore Line, which runs from Chicago to South Bend, Indiana. After that, you can advance to the waiting area and then sit down on the benches and wait for a train.  When the train actually arrives, you'll walk outside where you board the train, and then you go on your way.  On your way out of the station, if you take the closest stairway to the platforms, then you'll notice an iron formation above the exit.  Upon closer examination, you see that that is actually a gift from the Paris transit company, given in honor of it's Centennial.  So, now that you've gotten that basic tour, the work of this blog is done for today.    Till Next time...