The Ogilvie Transportation Center is the Downtown Chicago Terminus of the 3 Union Pacific Metra Lines. The station is approximately two blocks north of Union Station and has 16 tracks served by 8 island platforms located on an elevated embankment above Chicago city streets. A few blocks north of the station (between Fulton and Kinzie Streets) the Union Pacific Line lead tracks go over the north approach tracks into Union Station, with the Union Station tracks (used by the Metra Milwaukee North & West, Northcentral service, and Amtrak's Hiawatha and Empire Builder) having grade crossings at Canal and Clinton Streets. The Chicago and Northwestern Station was originally built in 1911, although pretty much all of the station has been rebuilt. First in 1984 the original headhouse was raised and replaced by the glass-and-steel 42 story Citicorp Center with the train station occupying the lower two floors. In 1992 the trainshed above the tracks was found to be in poor condition and completely rebuilt into the modern steel canopy structure that completely covers all the platforms today. In 1995 the Chicago and Northwestern Railway was purchased by Union Pacific, and the 3 Commuter Rail lines were renamed for the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1997 the station was renamed the Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center in honor of the former Governor of Illinois who founded the RTA to subsidize commuter and transit service in the Chicago area.
The station's 8 platforms each have two distinct entrances. The main headhouse is beyond the bumper blocks of each of the platforms where revolving doors lead into a modern glass atrium that is a shopping mall. There is a main train entrance area with large LED destination signs and a ticket office at one end. The main way to access the station is via a long and wide bank of escalators that lead down to Maidson Street. The shopping mall has a skybidge connection to 400 West Madison Street that still has sign for C. & N.W.RY. Trains at it's entrance. The accessible entrance for the elevator up to the concourse (and stepfree access to all platforms since the concourse is beyond the track bumper blocks is hard to find and accessed via Washington Street.
The secondary 'Concourse' exit is via two staircases that lead off each platform down to a secondary concourse level (closed on weekends), this area has it's own ticket office and restrooms, exits lead out on both sides to Clinton Street and Canal Street between Washington Blvd and Randolph Street. There are also a few shops in the lower Concourse this was originally named Metra Market. In 2009 these few shops were renovated into the extremely large French Market with a diverse array of small food vendors. Banners highlighting these shops on the platforms above the staircases down to the lower concourse.
Photos 1 & 2: 15 July, 2009; 3-6: 17 July, 2009; 7-18: 27 October, 2011; 19-22: 30 October, 2011; 23: July 4, 2013; 24-26: 4 June, 2017; 27-28: 13 October, 2003; 29-34: 17 February, 2018