Midway station (CTA)

Midway
Location 4612 West 59th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60629
Coordinates 41°47′12″N 87°44′16″W / 41.78661°N 87.737875°W / 41.78661; -87.737875
Owned by Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)
  Orange Line
Platforms 1 island platform,
1 side platform
Tracks 3
Connections

CTA Buses
Pace Buses

River Valley Metro
Construction
Structure type At-grade
Parking 299 Spaces
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened October 31, 1993
Traffic
Passengers (2015) 2,845,857[1] Increase 1.5%
Rank 16 out of 143[lower-alpha 1]
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station
TerminusOrange Line
toward The Loop
Route map
Legend
Orange Line
north to Loop

to Midway yard

Walkway to
Midway Airport

Midway is a station of the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Orange Line. It is the southwestern terminus of the Orange Line and serves Midway International Airport in Chicago, the city's second-largest airport. The turnstiles at the station's entrance are somewhat wider than most to accommodate airport passengers and their luggage. The station, along with the rest of the Orange Line, opened on October 31, 1993, after a long wait by Chicago's southwest side for 'L' access. It is also the closest station to Toyota Park, home of the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer Team, approximately 4 miles away. Although in the Garfield Ridge community area, the station serves many residents in the West Elsdon and West Lawn neighborhoods.

History

Prior to 1993, the southwest side was served only by the Douglas Park Branch of the West-Northwest Line. As the city expanded, this service became insufficient. During the 1940s, when subways were being constructed under State and Dearborn Streets, the city planned to expand the “L” to Midway Airport. However, this plan was not approved.

On January 22, 1990, there was a groundbreaking ceremony held at the future site of Midway Station. Many people attended, including Mayor Daley, Bernard Ford, the CTA Acting Executive Director, and David Williams, the Chicago public works commissioner. In 1993, the CTA finished building the new Orange Line. It cost about $500 million despite the use of abandoned railroad right-of-ways. Midway Station includes a three-track terminal, a yard, a car maintenance facility, an island platform, elevators leading to the sidewalk, and escalators and stairs connecting to the moving walkway heading to the airport.

When the garage was built on the east side of Cicero, it bisected the walkway from the station to the airport. In 2002, the Department of Aviation built a walkway through the garage. Although people still have to cross traffic lanes in two to three places, conditions are now safer then they were when people had to cross the traffic-filled garage. Now, metal bumpers protect the pedestrians in the garage.

Bus connections

CTA

Pace

River Valley Metro

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ Due to possible double-counting of physically-connected stations, the CTA's official 2015 tally of stations was 146, but for ridership purposes reported having only 143 stations.

References

  1. ↑ "Monthly Ridership Report – December 2015" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 11, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
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