- Millennium Station
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Millennium Station
Station statistics Address 151 East Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601Coordinates (150 N/150 E)
41°53′09″N 87°37′24″W / 41.88594°N 87.62345°WCoordinates: 41°53′09″N 87°37′24″W / 41.88594°N 87.62345°WLines Connections CTA "L" Lines: Purple Line Rush Hours Only(At Randolph/Wabash Station-1 Block West of Station)
CTA Bus Lines,
Chicago PedwayOther information Rebuilt 1985, 2005 Accessible 
Owned by METRA Fare zone A (Metra)
1 (South Shore)Formerly Randolph Street Station
or Randolph Street TerminalServices Preceding station Metra Following station Terminus Metra Electric NICTD Terminus South Shore Line toward South Bend AirportMillennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Terminal; sometimes called Randolph Street Station or Randolph/South Water Street Station) is a major commuter rail terminal in downtown Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line to University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago; and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana. The terminal was built by the Illinois Central Railroad and is now owned by the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (Metra). Not counting commuters on the South Shore Line, over 18,000 people board Metra trains at Millennium Station each day.[1]
Along with the station a few blocks south at Van Buren Street, Randolph Street Terminal was IC's primary downtown Chicago terminal until the completion of Central Station (closed 1972) just south of Grant Park at today's Roosevelt Road in 1893; it still received many trains thereafter, but was of secondary importance. Its importance increased dramatically in 1926 with the electrification of commuter services on IC's main line and its Blue Island and South Chicago branches. Commuter trains from all three branches were now routed into the Randolph Street Terminal, while intercity traffic continued to terminate at Central Station.
Although it serves only one branch of the Metra system, high ridership on the Metra Electric District and the South Shore Line means that Millennium Station rivals Union Station and Ogilvie Transportation Center for ridership. During peak periods, trains leave the terminal as frequently as twice a minute.
Originally, the station platforms were exposed and the ticketing facilities and the waiting room were located in the attached facility. The construction of Millennium Park gradually placed the entire station "underground." Millennium station existed in a state of perpetual construction from the mid-1980s until 2005: exposed steel girders covered in flame retardant, unpainted plywood walls, bare concrete floors, and dim utility lights created a notoriously unfriendly, cave-like environment. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill was the architect for the station redesign.[2]
Contents
Bus connections
- #3 King Drive
- #4 Cottage Grove (Owl Service)
- #6 Jackson Park Express
- #19 United Center Express
- #20 Madison
- #26 South Shore Express
- #60 Blue Island/26th
- #N66 Chicago (Owl Service)
- #124 Navy Pier
- #129 West Loop/South Loop
- #143 Stockton/Michigan Express
- #145 Wilson/Michigan Express
- #147 Outer Drive Express
- #148 Clarendon/Michigan Express
- #151 Sheridan (Owl Service)
- #157 Streeterville/Taylor
- #855 Plainfield-East Loop Express
- Shuttle Service between Downtown Chicago and Valparaiso (Rush Hour Only)
Pedway connections
Millennium Station serves as a nexus of several Chicago Pedway connections, which links it to several hotels, residential buildings, office buildings, 'L' stations and other notable locations. The pedway itself hosts a number of shops, eateries and services. While some portions of the system remain open at all hours, most of them close by 7:00 PM on weekdays and 6:00 PM on the weekends, rendering a significant portion of the system unusable during non-business hours.
Westbound Corridor
- Smurfit-Stone Building
- Chicago Cultural Center
- The Heritage at Millennium Park
- Randolph/Wabash 'L' Station
- Macy's
- Lake/State 'L' Station
- Block 37
- Washington/Dearborn 'L' Station
- Richard J. Daley Center
- Cook County Building
Eastbound Corridor
Northbound Corridor
- Two Prudential Plaza
- Aon Center
- Lakeshore Athletic Club
- Fairmont Hotel
- Park Millennium Apartments
- Aqua Building
Via South Water Street Exit
- Boulevard Towers
- Illinois Center
- Hyatt Regency Chicago
- Columbus Plaza
- Renaissance Hotel
- Swissotel Chicago
- Aqua Building
Gallery
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Randolph Street Station 1895
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Commuter lines terminating at Randolph Street, shown in Panama Orange and Dark South Shore Burgundy on this schematic, serve Chicago's southern and eastern suburbs in Illinois and Indiana
In popular culture
A brief shot of the interior of Millennium Station is included in a pursuit scene in the 2008 motion picture, The Dark Knight.
See also
References
- ^ On the Bi-Level, October 2007.
- ^ "Millennium Station Project Page on SOM.com". http://www.som.com/content.cfm/millennium_station.
External links
Media related to Millennium Station (Chicago) at Wikimedia Commons- Chicago Millennium Station (Metra Electric)
- (Chicago) Millennium Station at Randolph Street (NICTD)
- Randolph Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
Metra Lines CurrentProposedNICTD ServiceStations and Terminals Rolling stock Accidents and incidents 1972 Chicago commuter rail crash · 1995 Fox River Grove bus–train collisionMajor inter-city railroad stations of Chicago Active terminals Former terminals Central Station · Dearborn · Grand Central · Central Depot · Galena and Chicago Union · Nickel Plate · Wells St. Station · Wells St. Terminal · Columbian ExpositionOther stations Categories:- Metra stations in Chicago, Illinois
- Stations along Illinois Central Railroad lines
- South Shore Line (NICTD)
- NICTD stations in Illinois
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