McCormick Place station
| Company type | Commuter rail station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
| Products | Commuter rail services (Metra Electric Line, South Shore Line special event stops) |
McCormick Place station is a commuter rail facility situated beneath McCormick Place, Chicago's foremost convention center. It operates on the Metra Electric Line, providing service northbound to Millennium Station and southbound to destinations including University Park, Blue Island, and South Chicago. Beginning in August 2024, the South Shore Line trains traveling to Gary and South Bend, Indiana will only stop here during designated special events.
Structure
Access to the station is primarily through the Grand Concourse located in McCormick Place's South Building. From there, a corridor leads passengers into a waiting area furnished with seating and electronic displays indicating upcoming train arrivals. The platform can be reached via a staircase and elevator positioned at the northern end of the waiting room.
Immediately north of the station, underneath McCormick Place, freight tracks run adjacent and cross over the Metra mainline, transitioning from the west side to the east side of the Metra tracks as they proceed toward University Park.
History
The station originally commenced operations in 1868 at 22nd Street, featuring a wooden structure that accommodated both suburban and long-distance rail services. It served as a temporary replacement for Great Central Station following the Great Chicago Fire. In 1880, this wooden facility was substituted with a brick building, and by 1907, service had been limited exclusively to suburban trains.
Relocation occurred in 1926 when the station moved to 23rd Street as part of Illinois Central Railroad's electrification initiative. The expansion of McCormick Place in 1996 included constructing its South Building over the station, which was subsequently redesigned and modernized with a new concrete platform tailored to serve convention center visitors.
A renovation completed in 2017 introduced artistic murals, updated digital signage, audio announcement systems, enhanced lighting, and improved directional signs. Metra is currently considering installing a crossover track south of the station to facilitate greater train movement from outer tracks.
From August 20, 2024 onward, South Shore Line trains will cease weekend stops at McCormick Place, ending routine service; nonetheless, certain trains will continue to stop here during special events hosted at the convention center.
Service
On weekdays, select trains on the Metra Electric District line serve McCormick Place, while on weekends most trains include this station as a stop. All three branches of this line call at McCormick Place. As reported in 2018, it ranked 179th out of 236 non-downtown Metra stations by average weekday boardings, with approximately 124 passengers.
The South Shore Line limits its stops at McCormick Place to special events only and does not permit boarding for northbound travelers or alighting for southbound passengers during these times.
Bus connections
- 3 King Drive
- 21 Cermak