CUS Madison Street Entrance

[debmep]

After 2 previous wet cold walks from CUS to Ogilvie T.C. I just discovered that there is a entrance to Union Station on Madison Street!

Does anyone have any knowledge on how easy this would be to use & how would someone find the correct route? We come in via the Pere Marquette, so I really don't have much knowledge at all of the northern side of Union Station. How simple would it be to enter from Madison Street and then end up at the Metropolitan Lounge or the southern waiting room? Or vise/versa how does one get from the southern side of Union Station and exit onto Madison Street? Thanks.

 

[neroden]

After 2 previous wet cold walks from CUS to Ogilvie T.C. I just discovered that there is a entrance to Union Station on Madison Street!

Does anyone have any knowledge on how easy this would be to use & how would someone find the correct route? We come in via the Pere Marquette, so I really don't have much knowledge at all of the northern side of Union Station.

The entrance comes off the far end of some of the northern-side platforms. It's actually easiest to find in the other direction -- take the eastern exit from Ogilvie, cross the street, and you're there.

 

[SarahZ]

You still have to go outside (for just a bit) and cross Madison. The entrance is on the SE corner of Canal and Madison, and it's labeled. It's across from CVS and Jimmy John's.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=ogilvie+chicago&ll=41.881879,-87.63942&spn=0.009809,0.016479&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=41.881878,-87.639181&panoid=PFwMQ7T-AJla0kw6zAdAiQ&cbp=12,178.48,,0,3.05

Here is a map of the concourses at Union Station:

http://www.chicagounionstation.com/map_concourse.html

To get between the North and South Concourses, you can use the hallway that goes past the escalators and the Lounge, or you can walk around past the Metra ticketing area and Great Hall.

 

[MikefromCrete]

It's quite easy. There's are stairs at the north end of the route which might make carrying a lot of luggage a problem, but other than that it's just a manner of walking down the platforms and into the station.

 

[Joeker]

There are three Metra platforms that access the street exit, (Not the Amtrak run through track or the one next to it)

Yes, it well signed from the street across from Ogilvie station.

 

[Old MM]

As it happens I researched this for you during one of the winter blizzards/polar vortexes Yes, there is an entrance on Madison, across (kitty-corner) from Ogilvie. I had this idea we could walk out of our hotel at the CPlaza, avoid paying a cab, and walk those few short blocks eastward and enter the train station at Madison. Which you can do technically if there is no immediate danger of frostbite. If there's inclement weather this may not be an attractive option either going to or from CUS. What with the cold temps, wind and blowing snow, once you get to the Madison entrance, your hope of escaping the elements is quickly vanquished as you would be following the cold platforms, shielded from above but not from extreme cold. Leaving CUS probably feels about the same temp wise. So 3 seasons out of the year it is probably an option.