The Richard B. Ogilvie Transportation Center (; formerly Chicago and North Western Terminal) is a
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
terminal
Terminal may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together
* Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line
* Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output dev ...
in downtown
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. It is the terminus for the three
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
lines of
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...
's
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
District to Chicago's northern and western suburbs, which approach the terminal elevated above street level. It occupies the lower floors of the
500 West Madison Street building. The building occupies two square city blocks, bounded by
Randolph Street
Randolph Street is a street in Chicago. It runs east–west through the Chicago Loop, carrying westbound traffic west from Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River on the Randolph Street Bridge, interchanging with the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/ I ...
and
Madison Street to the north and south and by Canal Street and Clinton Street to the east and west. It is the second busiest rail station in Chicago, after nearby
Chicago Union Station
Chicago Union Station is an intercity and commuter rail terminal located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The station is Amtrak's flagship station in the Midwest. While serving long-distance passenger trains, it is also ...
, the
sixth-busiest railway station in North America, and the third-busiest station that exclusively serves commuter traffic.
History
The 1911 station
The
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...
built the Chicago and North Western Terminal in 1911 to replace its
Wells Street Station
Wells Street Station was a passenger terminal of the Chicago and North Western Railway, located at the southwest corner of Wells Street and Kinzie Street in Chicago, Illinois. It was replaced in 1911 by the Chicago and North Western Terminal o ...
across the
North Branch of the Chicago River. The new station, in the
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style, was designed by Frost and Granger, also the architects for the 1903
LaSalle Street Station
LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 South LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago. First used as a rail terminal in 1852, it was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968, and for the Chicago, R ...
.
The
Tyler & Hippach Mirror Company Factory was moved 168 feet east and 52 feet south to make room for the station's construction. At the time, this was the largest building ever moved.
The station's 16 tracks were elevated above street level and "reached by six approach tracks and sheltered under an 894-foot-long
72 meter
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...
Bush train shed."
The upper level of the
head house
A head house or headhouse may be an enclosed building attached to an open-sided shed, or the aboveground part of a subway station.
Markets
In the 18th and early 19th centuries, head houses were often civic buildings such as town halls or courtho ...
housed a concourse and other facilities for intercity passengers, including "dressing rooms, baths, nurses and matrons rooms, and a doctor's office." The centerpiece of the upper level was a stately waiting room, measuring 201 by 202 feet (34 by 62 meters), and rising 84 feet (approx. 26 meters) to its
barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
ed ceiling.
In addition to the main concourse on the upper level, there was a street-level concourse for commuters.
During the heyday of rail travel, the Chicago and North Western Terminal was home to the C&NW's trains to
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
,
Minneapolis-St Paul,
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
and other cities of the upper Midwest, including the railroad's premier ''
400'' series of trains. Until October 30, 1955, it was also the Chicago terminus of the trains the
Union Pacific
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
ran in conjunction with the C&NW, including the ''
Overland Limited'' and the famed ''City'' trains (
City of San Francisco,
City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, Portland Rose) (operations of all Union Pacific intercity passenger trains would be turned over to the C&NW's rival, the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...
). Other less famous trains such as the Corn King Special (Omaha), Viking (Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Minneapolis/St Paul), and Columbine (Denver). In 1939, there were 38 inter-city departures each business day.
[Official Guide of the Railways, National Railway Publication Co, April 1940]
File:C&NW Terminal ca 1912.jpg, CNW Terminal
File:C&NW Passenger Trains - 6 of Roger Puta Photos (27260545606).jpg, C&NW train in July 1964
File:CNW, North Western Station, Chicago, IL in November 1981 -- 8 Photos (31894138276).jpg, Interior in 1981
File:CNW North Western Station, Chicago, IL in November 1981 B01 (31894134546).jpg, Terminal in November 1981
The 1984 station
In 1984, the head house was razed and replaced with the glass-and-steel 42-story Citicorp Center (now 500 West Madison), which was completed three years later in 1987. Metra service was maintained with only minor interruptions during construction–following the example of the demolition and replacement of
New York Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station, also known as New York Penn Station or simply Penn Station, is the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility in the Western Hemisphere, serving more than 600,000 passengers ...
.
1991 rehabilitation
![OgilvieRehab](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/OgilvieRehab.jpg)
In 1991 Metra purchased the train shed from Chicago and North Western and conducted a survey to determine the condition. The examination included necessary repairs to improve its structural integrity and redesign measures to bring the station up to modern mass-commuting standards. After completing a thorough evaluation, Metra, the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, and the Illinois Department of Transportation decided to completely replace the existing structure and in 1992, with the assistance of Federal funding, a contractor and management team were selected to begin the work.
Many engineering challenges had to be addressed and resolved, not only because of the train shed's prominent location but also due to its high traffic volume as it was to remain operational to 45,000 daily commuters during the project. Such challenges included the removal of original lead paint, the complete replacement of all 16 tracks which served 200 trains a day, extensive structural steel repairs (under load), erection of a new steel canopy, complete exterior masonry restoration, new electrical and plumbing systems, and construction of a new pedestrian concourse. During the rehabilitation project, which lasted four years and cost $138 million, over 60 contractors spent more than 800,000 man-hours performing repairs and producing new construction.
The station was renamed the Ogilvie Transportation Center in 1997, two years after the C&NW merged into the Union Pacific Railroad. The station was named for
Richard B. Ogilvie
Richard Buell Ogilvie (February 22, 1923 – May 10, 1988) was the 35th governor of Illinois and served from 1969 to 1973. A wounded combat veteran of World War II, he became known as the mafia-fighting sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, in t ...
, a board member of the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States fr ...
(the
C&NW
The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befo ...
's rival and competing neighbor) and a lifelong railroad proponent, who, as
governor of Illinois
The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...
, created the
Regional Transportation Authority, which is the parent agency of Metra. Many longtime Chicago-area residents still call it "North Western Station," and many longtime employees simply call it "CPT"–short for "Chicago Passenger Terminal."
Platforms and tracks
![Ogilvie station from the Willis (Sears) Tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Ogilvie_station_from_the_Willis_%28Sears%29_Tower.png)
The station has 16 tracks with eight island platforms, each island platform servicing two tracks. Not all the platforms are the same length; the platforms on the western part of the station (tracks 1–10) are significantly longer than the eastern platforms. In general, West Line trains depart from the western platforms (roughly tracks 1–5), Northwest Line trains depart from the middle tracks (6–11), and North Line trains depart from the eastern tracks (12–16). This is done so that departing and arriving trains do not have to make large switch movements, which would block the use of other tracks and prevent multiple trains from arriving and departing at the same time. Just north of the station, the number of tracks reduces from 16 to six. Switches allow for trains on any of the 16 station tracks to end up on any of these six tracks, and vice versa. About a third of a mile from the station, the six tracks split into two mainlines of four tracks. One mainline turns west, while the other turns northwest. West Line trains take the west tracks, while Northwest and North Line trains take the northwest tracks.
Services
![C&NW Terminal approaches](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/C%26NW_Terminal_approaches.svg)
The Chicago and North Western Terminal has served as a terminal for all the
commuter and
intercity
InterCity (commonly abbreviated ''IC'' on timetables and tickets) is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe. Such trains (in contrast to regional, local, or commuter trains) generally call at m ...
trains of the Chicago and North Western Railway. In addition, on November 9, 1969, the day after
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Grand Central is the southern terminus ...
closed, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...
and
Pere Marquette Railway
The Pere Marquette Railway operated in the Great Lakes region of the United States and southern parts of Ontario in Canada. It had trackage in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and the Canadian province of Ontario. Its primary connections in ...
, Grand Central's two remaining users, moved their remaining intercity services into the C&NW's terminal. Those trains, which used the C&NW's branch to the
St. Charles Air Line
The St. Charles Air Line is a rail line in Chicago, Illinois, partially owned by the BNSF Railway, Union Pacific Railroad, and Canadian National Railway.
It is currently used by the Canadian National Railway for freight trains and by Amtrak passe ...
west of
Western Avenue, last ran on April 30, 1971, the day before
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
took over most intercity passenger trains in the U.S. Amtrak services over the lines of those two railroads have run into
Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
.
Metra's three Union Pacific District lines – the
Union Pacific/North Line
The Union Pacific North Line (UP-N) is a Metra line in the Chicago metropolitan area. It runs between Ogilvie Transportation Center and Kenosha, Wisconsin; however, most trains terminate in Waukegan, Illinois. Although Metra owns the rolling st ...
,
Union Pacific/Northwest Line
The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not refer to any of its lines by colors, the timetable ...
and
Union Pacific/West Line
The Union Pacific West Line (UP-W) is a Metra commuter rail line operated by Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, but the timetable accents for the Union Paci ...
– now provide regular commuter rail service along three former C&NW lines. In Metra's zone-based fare schedule, Ogilvie is in Zone A. More than 106,000 people board Metra trains at Ogilvie Transportation Center each day.
Traffic statistics
Bus and 'L' connections
Bus connections can be made on
Madison Street or Washington Boulevard via the Citigroup Center or through a lower level concourse accessible by the track platforms between Washington Boulevard and Randolph Street with entrances at Canal and Clinton Streets. Connections can also be made at the Union Station bus terminal via an entrance to Union Station's north concourse on Madison Street.
Ogilvie offers two connections to the
Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its surrounding suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago 'L' and CTA bus service. In , the system had a ridership of , o ...
's
"L" system. It is next door to
Clinton station; Ogilvie's platforms directly abut Clinton. Ogilvie is three blocks west of
Washington/Wells station
Washington/Wells is a station on the Chicago "L" system, located in downtown Chicago, Illinois on The Loop. The station opened on July 17, 1995. Washington/Wells is located a few blocks from several major attractions and business centers, ...
.
CTA buses
* J14 Jeffery Jump
* 19 United Center Express
* 56 Milwaukee
* 60 Blue Island/26th (Owl Service)
* 120 Ogilvie/Streeterville Express
* 124 Navy Pier
* 125 Water Tower Express
* 126 Jackson
* 128 Soldier Field Express
* 130 Museum Campus
* 157 Streeterville/Taylor
* 192 University of Chicago Hospitals Express
Major intercity trains before Amtrak
;Chicago & North Western trains
* ''North Western Limited''
*''
Twin Cities 400
The ''400''Chicago & North Western Railway Route of the "400" The Streamliners and the Challengers ime Table Rand McNally, January 15, 1939. Chicago, IL (later named the ''Twin Cities 400''Chicago & North Western Railway Through Passenger Schedu ...
''
*''
Flambeau 400
The ''Flambeau 400'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway between Chicago, Illinois, and Ashland, Wisconsin on Lake Superior, via Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was originally a special service in the summe ...
''
*''
Minnesota 400
The ''Minnesota 400'' was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago and North Western Railway on its southern Minnesota line between Mankato, Minnesota and Wyeville, Wisconsin. It began running in 1936. In 1950 it was extended to run ...
'' and its successors the ''Dakota 400'' and ''Rochester 400''
*''
Kate Shelley 400''
;Union Pacific/Chicago and North Western trains
*''
Overland Limited''
*''
Challengers''
*''
City of San Francisco''
*''
City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
''
*''
City of Portland''
*''
City of Denver
Denver () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States#State capital, capital, and List of municipalities in Colorado#, most populous city of th ...
''
*''
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
''
See also
*
List of busiest railway stations in North America This is a list of the busiest railway stations in North America. The figures are collected by the different operating agencies of each railway station, and are estimates based on ticket usage data, crowd sizes and other extrapolations.
Methodology ...
*
List of passenger railroads in Chicago for other passenger railroad terminals in downtown Chicago
References
*Kevin P. Keefe, City of Six Stations,
''Trains'' July 2003, p. 69
External links
Main entrance (Madison Street) from Google Maps Street ViewWashington Boulevard entrance from Google Maps Street View
{{Authority control
Metra stations in Chicago
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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Clock towers in Illinois
Transit centers in the United States
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1984
1984 establishments in Illinois
Chicago Northwestern
Union Pacific North Line
Union Pacific West Line