Central Station (Chicago terminal) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Central Station
Intercity rail
Illinois Central Depot, circa 1901
Coordinates	41°52′05″N 87°37′19″W / 41.86806°N 87.62194°W / 41.86806; -87.62194
Connections	Roosevelt Road station
Construction
Architect	Bradford L. Gilbert
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
History
Opened	April 17, 1893
Closed	March 5, 1972
Key dates
June 3, 1974	Demolished
Services
Preceding station Illinois Central Railroad Following station 43rd Street toward New Orleans Main Line Terminus Hawthorne toward Sioux City Sioux City – Chicago Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station 63rd Street toward Buffalo Michigan Central Railroad (Until 1957) Main Line Terminus 63rd Street toward Cincinnati Chicago – Cincinnati Preceding station Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Following station 63rd Street toward Cincinnati Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad 1907-1911 1925-1930s Terminus Preceding station Amtrak Following station Terminus James Whitcomb Riley and George Washington 1971-1972 Homewood toward Washington, D.C. or Newport News

Central Station was a very busy train station in downtown Chicago. It was located at the southern edge of Grant Park, near Roosevelt Road and Michigan Avenue. The station was owned by the Illinois Central Railroad. However, other train companies also used its tracks and platforms.

Central Station first opened in 1893. It took the place of an older station called Great Central Station. For many years, it was a major hub for trains traveling between cities. But in 1972, it closed its doors. This happened because Amtrak, the new national passenger train service, moved its trains to Union Station. The old station building was torn down in 1974. Today, the area where it once stood is being redeveloped into a new neighborhood called Central Station, Chicago.

Right next to Central Station, there were platforms for local commuter trains. These trains, like the Electric and West lines of the Illinois Central, and the South Shore Line, carried people to and from Chicago's suburbs. All these local trains continued north to Randolph Street.

The Story of Central Station

Building a Grand Station

Central Station was designed by an architect named Bradford L. Gilbert. It was built by the Illinois Central Railroad. The building had a special look called Romanesque Revival, which means it looked like old Roman buildings. It opened on April 17, 1893. This was just in time for the World's Columbian Exposition, a huge world's fair held in Chicago.

The station was a very impressive building. It had nine stories and a tall, 13-story clock tower. The railroad's main offices were also inside. Central Station also had the biggest train shed in the world at that time. This shed was a huge roof that covered the train tracks and platforms. It was 140 feet wide and 610 feet long!

Who Used Central Station?

The Illinois Central Railroad built and owned Central Station for its long-distance trains. People could also connect to local commuter trains and the South Shore Line from nearby platforms. Another railroad, the Michigan Central Railroad, also used Central Station. They had been sharing the Illinois Central's train area since 1852.

Over the years, many different train companies used Central Station.

• The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad moved to a different station.
• The Wisconsin Central Railway (later part of the Soo Line) started using Central Station in 1899. They used special tracks to reach it.
• The Pere Marquette Railroad used Central Station for a short time, then moved to another station in 1903.
• The Soo Line moved back to Central Station in 1912.
• On March 1, 1925, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway began using Central Station.
• In 1965, the Soo Line returned to Central Station for its last few years of passenger service.

In 1957, the Michigan Central Railroad moved its trains from Central Station to another station called LaSalle Street Station. The Illinois Central Railroad was not happy about this because they had a long agreement. They settled the issue with money.

1911 Central Station and Illinois Central offices

Amtrak Takes Over

By May 1, 1971, a new national train service called Amtrak began operating. At this time, Central Station was mostly used by trains from the Illinois Central Railroad and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway. Amtrak decided to continue operating some of these trains, like the City of New Orleans and the James Whitcomb Riley.

However, on January 23, 1972, Amtrak moved the Floridian train to Union Station. This was because the train tracks in Indiana were not in good condition. The very last trains to leave Central Station were on March 5, 1972. After that, all Amtrak trains were rerouted to Union Station. Some trains still used the Illinois Central tracks for a short distance before turning to reach Union Station.

In late 1973, the Illinois Central Railroad moved its main offices to a new building. Demolition of Central Station and its big train shed began on June 3, 1974. The platforms for the local commuter trains stayed until 2009. They were then replaced with new, modern platforms and renamed Museum Campus/11th Street station. The old train yards south of the station are now part of a big building project called the Central Station project.

Trains That Used Central Station

Central Station was a terminal station, meaning trains started and ended their journeys there. Here are some of the main train lines and famous trains that used Central Station:

• Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (from 1925 to about the 1940s)
• Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (also known as the Big Four)
  • James Whitcomb Riley to Cincinnati
• Illinois Central Railroad
  • City of Miami to Miami, Florida
  • City of New Orleans and Panama Limited to New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Hawkeye to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
  • Shawnee to Carbondale, Illinois
• Michigan Central Railroad (until January 17, 1957)
  • Mercury to Detroit, Michigan
  • Wolverine to New York City
• Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) (used the station from 1899 to 1912 and again after 1965)
• Pere Marquette Railroad (until December 15, 1903)
• Amtrak (until March 5, 1972)
  • Floridian
  • George Washington/James Whitcomb Riley
  • Panama Limited
  • Shawnee

Local commuter trains also ran through Central Station. These trains went to places like South Chicago, Blue Island, and Richton Park. The Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad also started using the station in 1926, with electric trains going to South Bend, Indiana.

Today, the former Illinois Central electric commuter service is run by Metra as its Electric Line. The South Shore interurban line is operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District.

Images for kids

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  The Hawkeye train at Central Station on April 4, 1971

• 

  Central Station in 1971

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  The rear of Central Station in February 1971, showing the large Illinois Central sign

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  The Illinois Central ticket counter inside Central Station, 1971

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  A map showing how trains approached Central Station using Illinois Central Railroad tracks.