Merchandise Mart (CTA)

Merchandise Mart is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in the Near North Side at 350 North Wells Street in Chicago, Illinois (directional coordinates 320 north, 200 west). The original station was opened in 1930, and rebuilt in 1988. The primary purpose of the station is to serve the Merchandise Mart, one of the world's largest commercial buildings, although there are some galleries and restaurants nearby.

The station is elevated above street level, on a steel structure. The turnstiles and customer assistant booth of the current station are located on the second level of the Merchandise Mart itself. This is the only entrance to the station, although there are exit-only rotogates to Kinzie Avenue north of the station. The station is constructed mostly of steel, with wooden platforms covered by a canopy most of their length. There are two side platforms both long enough to support eight-car trains, the longest possible on the CTA system. The southbound platform is just slightly below the level of the station entrance while an enclosed bridge over the tracks connects to the northbound platform on the opposite side. The station is fully accessible, resulting in a complicated elevator setup. The elevator on the southbound platform can lower from the entrance to the platform, as well as go up to the top of the bridge. Another elevator on the opposite side of the bridge lowers to the northbound platform.

Merchandise Mart primarily serves the Brown Line but Purple Line Express trains also stop there during weekday rush hours.

Merchandise Mart is the only Brown Line station not scheduled to receive substantial upgrades through the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project. Since it is of recent construction, is ADA-compliant, and is already of sufficient length to accommodate eight-car trains, no major modifications are needed.

=CTA bus connections=

* 11 - Lincoln/Sedgwick
* 125 - Water Tower Express

References

External links

* [http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/merchandise_mart.html Merchandise Mart] at [http://www.chicago-l.org/ Chicago-'L'.org]
* [http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/merchandisemart.html Train schedules] at [http://www.transitchicago.com/ CTA official site]