 McCormick Place | South Shore Line | 63rd Street  |
55th-56th-57th Streets is a major Metra Electric Station that all off peak and most peak trains stop at. It is also the South Shore Line Station for the Hyde Park Area with South Shore Train conductors announcing the station for the Museum of Science and Industry just a few blocks away. Nearly all South Shore Line (except for one inbound AM, and two outbound AM, basically deadheading in service to Gary) trains stop at the station. The South Shore Line originally served for 51st-53rd Streets for Hyde Park until October 17, 1966 when the South Shore Stop was relocated to this location for easier access to the Museum of Science and Industry. This station was renovated in 2002 and is now fully wheelchair accessible with elevators. The station was the last Metra Electric Station outside of Van Buren and Millennium Stations in Downtown Chicago to have a ticket office, which closed permanently on November 4, 2014.
For trains, the station has two high-level island platforms for the four track Metra Electric Line. Just east of the mainline are two additional tracks used by freight trains along with Amtrak's Illini/Saluki and City of New Orleans . The platforms begin from their southern ends with doors leading into an enclosed area with brick and green frames in the station windows. This is how all enclosed areas on the platforms look. First a staircase, followed by an elevator lead down to a small station entrance area with the closed ticket window and both Metra and South Shore TVMs. Doors lead out from here (with glass walls) to dark northern sidewalk of the 57th Street. Up on the the platform from the south a canopy extends from this entrance area about 3 car lengths. Almost immediately passengers reach enclosed waiting shelters with doors in the middle of both platforms. Another windscreened bench is at the end of this canopy.
The canopy ends for about a car length before beginning again for two car lengths. There is first an additional enclosed shelter area with a bench on both platforms, next towards the end of this canopy a green door leads to an enclosed staircase down to another small station entrance area with similar glass walls and no benches. Doors lead out here to the southern sidewalk of 56th Street as it crosses under the railroad line.
The 55th Street exit requires more of a walk. At the northern end of both platforms doors lead into another small structure. Inside this structure are benches before steps lead down to another double-set of doors. From these doors paths lead at track level for about 450 feet. Supports for the catenary structures are in the middle of the paths. At the northern end of each platform is a small brick and green glass framed portal that surrounds the final staircase off the platform that leads down to the southern sidewalk of 55th Street.
All Photos taken on 10 June, 2018
51st, 53rd St./Hyde Park 