Is there a Easy and Fast way to get to Millenium Station?

Every Time I go to Chicago it seems that I spend at least 20 Minutes walking down the long subtreain tunnels to get to the hole that used to be Randolf Street Station. Is there some sort of secret elevator from the park directly down to the station platform? I Imagine it looks like something out of DR Who.

Where are you starting from? The entrance on the SE corner of Michigan and Randolph was removed when the new station was built but there are still good entrances on the SW corner and north of Randolph.

It's been a while since I entered from anywhere besides Randolph/Michigan, but last I knew there was still an entrance to the Metra platforms on South Water Street just east of Michigan Avenue. I think there's also some way of directly accessing the NICTD platforms from Columbus Drive.

Pretty much self explanatory.

Littleredcaboose wrote:Every Time I go to Chicago it seems that I spend at least 20 Minutes walking down the long subtreain tunnels to get to the hole that used to be Randolf Street Station. Is there some sort of secret elevator from the park directly down to the station platform? I Imagine it looks like something out of DR Who.

And here I thought Who was on First.

Just out of curiosity, has the name Millennium Station gained general acceptance among railroad employees and the general public, or do most people still call it Randolph Street?

I still call it Randolph St., and from what I've seen, I'm not alone; the new "Millennium station" moniker hasn't really caught on, most people still call it Randolph St as well, although I'm not sure what the general consensus is among employees. But maybe it'll stick eventually, I remember it took awhile before folks stopped calling OTC "North Western Station"; nowadays, it's simply "Oglivie" for the most part...

I'm not an employee ... Randolph St is a lot easier to say (and spell) than that other name.
I really don't like the mega mouth filler super extended station names. (NICTD uses "Millennium Station at Randolph St".)

Oglivie is short ... OTC is short ... Millennium isn't short. (Three sylables is better than four.)

Although it will probably take longer to accept "The Willis Tower" than "Millennium Station".

The Metra Electric takes you right into Millenium Station, it's fast and pretty easy... I couldnt resist!

metraRI wrote:

Pretty much self explanatory.

No. What are the green X's? At least two of them aren't entrances to Millenium Station.

According to Metra, each "X" is a station entrance, granted I don't go to Millennium Station very often... but I can't imagine they would have this information incorrect.

The two "X's" on the west side of MIchigan are stairways that lead into a short tunnel that ends at the Randolph St. station doors. The third X is an entrance into the Prudential Building with a stairway to the right that leads into the station. There's also an entrance from the lower level of Randolph St. that leads to the South Shore platforms and then into the station. The Michigan Avenue entrance area also has access to the Loop Pedway and the Grant Park garage.

CHTT wrote:The two "X's" on the west side of MIchigan are stairways that lead into a short tunnel that ends at the Randolph St. station doors. The third X is an entrance into the Prudential Building with a stairway to the right that leads into the station. There's also an entrance from the lower level of Randolph St. that leads to the South Shore platforms and then into the station. The Michigan Avenue entrance area also has access to the Loop Pedway and the Grant Park garage.

Geez, this has to be the most poorly signposted set of station entrances EVER. I could not find the Prudential Building station entrance from the inside of the station OR the outside. The Grant Park Garage entrance is identifiable from the inside but not the outside. Which was rather annoying coming from Millennium Park, because to get into the station I had to walk a block to the west in order to go down a level and walk a block to the east....

The entrance on the SW corner of Randolph and Michigan is the only identifiable entrance (and it's not that well advertised either).

Terrible terrible design. I really don't think a stairway counts as a station entrance if it's completely unmarked.

The Prudential Building entrance isn't hard to find from the inside of the station ... you need to do a U Turn to get to it leaving the Metra platforms. Basically walk straight out of the Metra platform part of the station, turn around and there it is. Turn to the right leaving the station and you'll pass the ticket windows and walk down to the Michigan Ave entrances and the Pedway. Probably a lot more passengers using the Pedway to reach other buildings or the L than going to the surface immediately at Randolph St anyways.

From the outside you need to know where it is. But once you have found it it isn't hard to find again.