The train conductor actually waited for us...Thanks…read more This is the reason I gave this station 3 stars but I only usually this line because its the closes one to me. Many of the stops on this line need an overhaul unfortunately the commuters don't seem to know how to do their part. The employees have always been semi kind...because I have ran into a few that have been very helpful and others that seemed like they hate their job but I guess that is anywhere you go these days.

Well...it's the south side of the red line and it's pretty sad. People are mostly quiet and keep…read moreto themselves, unless they are the unstable ones who you kind of wish didn't talk at all. The ride is a little jerkier than on the north side, and it moves a little slower, too. Who knows what the work on the line will bring?!

CTA has an L station on 69th, with the name being the best thing about it: Six Nine baby. Forget…read moreabout it being in the middle of the busy Dan Ryan Expressway. It's nice feeling a breeze from the whizzing cars sometimes. Also forget about it being between the neighborhoods of Englewood and Grand Crossing. The station actually might be the safest place around here. As far as stations, this is the one with the coolest name so it's great for selfies and funny pics for Instagram. It serves the Red Line. This is the first station north of the 95th Street terminal. It doesn't get too busy at this station at rush hour. Mainly because there's not many people going to work. In all seriousness it's not close to anything. There's a few fast food places and pawn shops. Most people get on at 95th and ride on through here. The station itself is surprisingly clean and there's not a bad smell because it's outside. Be aware of the shady ass characters. It has a few but not as many as expected. This Line is the busiest so there's never a long wait for trains.

Ugh. Mondays. I got routed through this El station while…read moregoing from the Museum of Science and Industry and the University of Chicago to head to destinations north. This elevated station is anything but elevated. It's pretty plain, boring, and nothing to brag about. There were so many interesting odors at this platform. It wasn't especially clean. While waiting for the train to come, I got roped into a lecture from a local about international conspiracies going on in the South side of Chicago. It was an interesting discourse. The trains come through here fairly frequently, it seems, so I didn't have to wait long at this platform to get outta here. I appreciate how CTA has named this platform after everyone's favorite cat. Now somebody needs to set up a lasagna stand right on the platform, and I'd be in heaven.

I prefer the green line Garfield stop by far. This location is poorly maintained. If i'm trying to…read morecatch the 55 across the street, the shelter area where it's supposed to be lighted is beaten and neglected. The 59 can be a bit confusing to catch too since you don't know if you hop on whether it's going to Midway or Stony island since both routes come from one direction. Plenty of convenient gas stations around.

Nice. Clean. Easy to get to. Although parking can be rather bothersome. On some days there is…read moreplenty to go around and on others not so much.

Last week was my first time taking a train into the city while visiting Great Lakes. I was…read moretraveling alone and a little nervous about getting into the city and unsure about the area that the Ogilvie Transportation Center is in. Reviews made it seem like a confusing place to navigate. I boarded the Union Pacific North Train Kine from Great Lakes just outside of the Navy Training Center. I purchased my ticket on the Ventra App and I boarded the train and took a seat. There were several stops along the way and the Ogilvie Transportation Center was the last stop. The Conductor visited the car I was riding in just a couple of stops before ending at Ogilvie to check and/or sell tickets. The Conductor was polite and patient. When I exited the train at Ogilvie, I just followed the crowd to the stairway into the station and then just chose to exit the building at the Canal Street exit whit turned out to be just perfect for starting my journey into Chicago for the day. At the end of the day, when I returned to Ogilvie, it took me a few minutes to figure out the train schedule and locate the right stairways onto the loading platform. They have large screens at each loading platform stairway entrance that shows where each train travels to and what time they leave. There are stairways on each side of the train station to get you to the train. One important thing to note is that for some stops, the first cars of the train, the doors do not open. So it's best to find a seat towards the back cars or make plans to walk through a couple of cars quickly to get to the exit doors that open. The Ogilvie Transportation Center was easier to navigate than I had thought.

Oh Ogilvie, where do I even start?!…read more I've been using Ogilvie Transportation Center ever since I was in high school. I think I've been to Ogilvie over a few thousand times - I'm not kidding. Literally I've been here so many times the last 10 years it easily has been over a thousand times. Ogilvie is BIG, and there are a lot of entrances, exits, and "secret" places you discover because it's just that big. This transportation center and Union are the two centers that house Metra. Metra is a whole other story, but I won't be reviewing Metra, just the center that houses it. First off, Ogilvie has tons of different types of spaces inside. There's offices, companies, restaurants, shops, bars, etc. There are TONS of food options on the ground level, from options like McDonald's, Popeyes, Sbarro, Mrs. Fields, Deep Purpl, Starbucks, and much more. There are some food restaurants here that I've literally never seen open which sucks because I'd like to try them. There's more upstairs and downstairs on the lower level, as well, but this is their main food court for commuters/riders. Downstairs, you'll find their Chicago French Market which reminds me of Pike's Place Market in Seattle. There's tons of food stations and shops. You can also access the tracks from taking the stairs up down there. There's bars and restaurants all around Ogilvie, too, on the outskirts that people can see from the outside. Ogilvie is kept pretty clean - there's always custodians cleaning the bathrooms and tables. It is pretty common for people to come up to you and ask you for money when you're chilling there. Also sometimes it's hard to find an Uber outside of it. The best part of Ogilvie is that a ton of Metra train tracks arrive and depart basically every hour that bring you all over the Burbs. Some Metra lines will go over to Union, the other transportation center that's super close to Ogilvie, and others will bring you here. This makes getting to and from the city super easy and convenient. Overall, Ogilvie is a great place to get some food, get in and out of the city, and stop for a drink after work!

While this is not the worst red line stop in Chicago, there are sometimes some characters around…read more It is, however, the perfect location for a stop, near lots of tourist points and 2 blocks from Michigan Avenue. I wouldn't recommend being there alone as a woman super early in the morning or super late at night.

Another CTA station, an underground one, is on Chicago Avenue. It has a whole lot to see around…read morehere. Kind of a bad atmosphere with all the homeless people but still not among the worst. Feels safer than many other stations but that's not saying a lot. There's never a long wait for trains. It has an incredibly busy location at Chicago Avenue and State Street with all the commuters and tourists coming and going. It serves the Red Line. This is between the Grand Avenue and Clark/Division stations. Inside there's kind of a bad odor and there's a few sketchy people but that's typical stuff around. There's plenty of other stations you can get to from here quickly. Has a shitload of shopping as if you didn't know. It has some fast food like McDonald's if the hipster food is too high brow for your tastes. The best thing about this station is no long waiting.

I love(d) taking trains, but Amtrak (especially the Wolverine line) has been CONSISTENTLY chipping…read moreaway at that love of traveling via train. I am not making this bad review from frustration at a single or couple of experiences... it has been terrible and delayed for nearly all the rides I've taken in the last two years (and I take this train often). First, the WiFi rarely works even if it says it's connected and I go through the portal. Fine, so I try to use my cellular data, but due to the infrastructure in the areas we're passing, I'll lose cellular service all together. Next, there has been a string of excuses for severe schedule delays. One day it's because of bad radio signals, another day it's because another train has to pass so we need to wait over an hour before going to the next stop. Just absolutely terrible. Not only has the service become less reliable and decreasing quality, they're also increasing prices (especially during high travel periods like holidays). There needs to be some SERIOUS improvements to these issues. I hope it happens sooner rather than later because at this pace, I'll be exploring other travel options that can be more consistent, reliable, and not resort to price gouging customers for an inferior service.

If your going to Detroit this is your place! No attendent on duty but easy access.read more

One of the smaller Metra stations you can easily miss it , but it works awesomely nonetheless …read more It's clean and does what Metra does best . Getting you from point A to point B in a snap .

My husband and I recently needed to go downtown from Northbrook. Since the building we were…read morevisiting was right next to Chicago Union Station, taking the train was a no-brainer. I used to take the train very often years ago and was quite familiar with the station back then. This time, however, if I hadn't been with my husband, who acted as my guide, I definitely would have been quite lost! I'll definitely do a little more homework before my next visit. When we passed through the Great Hall, I was still in awe, admiring the intricate details of this iconic Chicago landmark. The Great Hall features a 219-foot-long barrel-vaulted skylight that soars 115 feet above the ground. My advice to out-of-town travelers: allow at least 10 minutes while you're in the station to stop and take in the elaborate details of this historic landmark, built in the Beaux-Arts style. The stunning Great Hall was recently restored to its original 1925 glory and is truly worth a look. I also recommend taking time to admire some of the station's original elements that remain today, including the long oak benches, beautiful light fixtures, and chandeliers. One funny memory from decades ago: I used to sit on those oak benches in the Great Hall waiting for my train, and the announcements were always so muffled that I could never figure out what they were saying! This time around, I could actually hear the announcements quite clearly. Chicago Union Station handles approximately 120,000 passengers daily. This makes it the third busiest rail terminal in the United States, serving both Amtrak and Metra passengers. It's an important part of Chicago's history and a remarkable transportation hub. That's quite impressive!

If you are traveling Amtrak First Class out of Chicago Union Station, utilizing the Metropolitan…read moreLounge is an absolute game-changer. The station itself is really nice inside, featuring stunning architecture and a grand atmosphere that makes the beginning of a trip feel special. We arrived at the station around 8:15pm for our 9:30pm train to New York, and the entire experience from start to finish was seamless. The staff are super friendly right from the start, and upon entry, they provide you with a bracelet to easily identify lounge guests. The lounge amenities are top-notch. They offered fresh fruit, a variety of individual snacks with helpful gluten-free labeling for dietary restrictions, a full coffee station, and a soda machine. Best of all, instead of having to watch the departure boards anxiously, the staff make an announcement when it's time to board and personally guide and escort you directly to your train. With their expert guidance, boarding was completely stress-free.