Said view from the pedestrian bridge.
After the last post on 55th / 56th / 57th Streets station, my first Metra trip had to end somewhere. I had to get off the train. Where was that exactly? We were on our way to the Field Museum, which is located a very short walk away from the Museum Campus / 11th Street stop on Metra Electric.
The station was very similar to 55th / 56th / 57th, in which it had two island platforms, were fully high-level, and just generally clean at platform level. This is also a station where South Shore Line trains stop, so back here I go one day to observe the platform use pattern (if there even is one). We walked right off our train and headed straight for the Field Museum, because why would we ever wait around and just look around the station - we were in a bit of a time crunch here. Stormy lost their signature beanie here (second beanie loss to Metra for them).
Unlike 55th / 56th / 57th or any other Metra station along Metra Electric (as well as other lines), this station isn't elevated over the road. This one, however, is under the pedestrian bridge into the Museum Campus. This allows for a really good view of the station and buildings behind it from the bridge.
Said view from the pedestrian bridge.
The station does have covered shelter areas as well, both on the platforms, as well as in the staircase between the platform and street levels. I wouldn't crowd a stairwell though.
So, what did I think of Metra? Caleb actually asked me this while Stormy was double checking their bag for the lost beanie. (A third beanie has been bought since this incident.) The stations, from what I had seen so far, were not bad, better than the ones I am used to from the MBTA, but this is a better part of Metra here. The gallery cars? They're kinda terrible. The fares? Not bad, better than the MBTA, and better to the point that I set the Fixing Fare Zones proportion to be 17 cents per mile (compared to the MBTA's 21 cents per mile). Chicago is just better. I learned at this point that Metra Electric is part of the Fair Transit South Cook program, bringing half-fares to all riders along the line. This journey would have costed $4.25 under a regular ticket (equivalent to 76 cents per mile), but is currently $2 (equivalent to 36 cents per mile). Under a Fixing Fare Zones Two scenario, the journey would cost 95 cents.
Posted: Oct 7, 2022 23:27
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