McCormick Place
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The McCormick Place Station opened in January 1996 when the new South Convention Center Halls opened. This expansion of the convention center was built over the existing and little-used 23 Street Station. This location was renovated into the new station. The stop is served by regularly scheduled Metra Electric trains hourly or better throughout weekdays; primarily from local trains to Blue Island or South Chicago-93rd Street with most express trains to University Park skip the station. Some trips make the stop as a flag stop. All South Shore Line trains serve the station during weekends only as a flag stop (with weekday trains making special stops for major weekday convention center events), although the station lacks South Shore signage or any other passenger information that South Shore trains stop at McCormick Place.

The current station consists of a single wide island platform that feels like your in a tunnel beneath the South Convention Center. Although the platform is enclosed in concrete from the building above it, it still has a series of 4 alternating white and black single-dome bus shelters. All access to the platform is at its northern end. A single staircase followed by an elevator leads up to a small former (before turnstiles were removed in 2003) fare control area that still has two cash TVMs and a new credit card TVM. This fare control area leads directly into Level 2.5 of the Grand Concourse in the South Convention Center. Doors with small Metra logos lead out to a wide outdoor plaza with very few markings for riders trying to find Metra from the convention center drop-off area along from Martin Luther King Drive. Reaching the nearest city street requires going down some outdoor steps. Wheelchair riders can use an elevator in a nearby indoor area that is marked with the Metra Logo and a wheelchair, making it seem like it is the Metra entrance, when the actual entrance is a further ~350 feet beyond, and ambulatory riders should just use the outdoor steps. There are a few signs for the Metra station in the entrance plaza but everything is poorly marked. This is a shame to the surrounding community and to visitors from Metra and South Shore Line suburbs since Chinatown with its cultural amenities is only a mile walk down Cermak Drive.
All Photos taken on 21 August, 2016

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A small sign across from the single McCormick Place platform
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A Metra Platform sign
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The single staircase to leave the platform at the nortern end
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Up the stairs to some doors at the top to leave the platform
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Looking back down the staircase to the platform
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The Doors into the Metra Station are poorly marked
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The doors to what appear to be the entrance to the station, they are just to an elevator to get up
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Passengers still have quite a bit of walking to reach the actual station entrance
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Finally reaching the actual doors to the Metra Station
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The entrance area (where faregates once were) and convention hall beyond
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Passenger amenities, two cash TVMs, a credit card TVM, and a pay phone
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The door to the staircase down to trains
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A platform sign and the bus shelters on the platform
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A platform sign
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Home<Chicago<Metra<Metra Electric District<McCormick Place
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Last Updated: 2 February, 2017
All photos are by Jeremiah Cox
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