| Millennium Station (Randolph Street Terminal) |
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| Address | 151 East Randolph Street Chicago, IL 60601 |
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| Coordinates | (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°W |
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| Lines | Metra Electric South Shore Line | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | CTA "L" Lines: Red Line (At Lake/State Station via Chicago Pedway) Green Line Brown Line Orange Line Pink Line Purple Line (Rush Hours Only)(At Randolph/Wabash Station-1 Block West of Station) CTA Bus Lines, Chicago Pedway |
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| Rebuilt | 1985, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible |  |
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| Owned by | METRA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | A (Metra) 1 (South Shore) |
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| Formerly | Randolph Street Station or Randolph Street Terminal | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Millennium 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 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.
The 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. Budget shortfalls and the lengthy, delay-plagued construction of Millennium Park meant that the station's interior remained unfinished for decades.
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Bus Connections
- #3 King Drive
- #X3 King Drive Express
- #4 Cottage Grove (Owl Service)
- #X4 Cottage Grove Express
- #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 I-55 Flyer [ends November 27]
- #855 Plainfield-East Loop Express [begins November 30]
- 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
Eastbound Corridor
Northbound Corridor
- Two Prudential Plaza
- Aon Center
- Lakeshore Athletic Club
- Fairmont Hotel
- Park Millennium Apartments
Via South Water Street Exit
- Boulevard Towers
- Illinois Center
- Hyatt Regency Chicago
- Columbus Plaza
- Renaissance Hotel
- Swissotel Chicago
- Aqua Building
Gallery
 Randolph Street Station 1895 |
 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 chase scene in the 2008 motion picture, The Dark Knight.[2]
See also
References
- ^ On the Bi-Level, October 2007.
- ^ "The Dark Knight: Filming Locations". The Internet Movie DataBase. 2008.
External links
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
