Station Review #175: 18th Street/Soldier's Field (Metra)


18th Street is a station served by the Metra Electric rail service. All lines serve this station, and it is a flag stop. The station is located on 18th Street and Calumet Avenue in Chicago's Near South Side neighborhood. 

Tour

Old signage for a shuttle bus program that at the time was not happening.

 
Right off the bat, outdated signage. This is a great sign of what's to come.
 

 
Not that what's to come seems very nice, either
 

Pretty view.
 

Stairs.

These stairs are awful. They barely feel as though they can hold your weight, much like the crossover to the rest of Chicago. 

View from side of stairs.

Schedule.

More outdated signage.

Metra map and fates.

Platform.
This station is incredibly bare-bones. 18th Street/Soldier Field is a wooden platform with a shelter or two. 

One of the shelters.
Almost everything here is made out of wood. 

Another shelter, this one with the TVM.
 
This is one of the few things here not made of wood.

TVM.

The full platform looking north.
To make matters worse, the platform here is weirdly thin as well. Considering how many people may end up here from Soldier's Field, this really doesn't seem like a good idea.  


Metra train 

 
All in all, using this station is not a good experience at all. 

Points of Interest Near 18th Street

There's some museums and parks nearby, along with Soldier Field and a lot of transit oriented development. Despite this, there are no bus connections and it's very difficult to get to the station from any of the things surrounding it, which probably explains it's lack of use. 
 
Besides that, this station is mostly only used for bustitution shuttle runs for the line.  

Statistics


Name: 18th Street/Soldier's Field
Agency: Metra
Line(s): Metra Electric Line
Locality: Near South Side
Municipality: Chicago 
County: Cook
State: Illinois 
Ridership: 23 boardings per average weekday (2018)

Amenity Checklist


Accessible: ×
Bathrooms: ×
Bicycle parking: ✓
Clean Station: ×
Connections to other transit routes: ×
Easy passage for each side: ×
Existence is justifiable: ×
Fare Payment Kiosks (if applicable): n/a
Good Wayfinding: ×
Indoor Shelters: ×
Maps: ✓
Multiple entrances/exits: ×
Adequate Parking: ✓
Safe to use: ×
Seating: ✓
Shelters: ✓
Station In Good Condition: ×
TVMs: ✓
Ticket Offices: ×
TOD: ✓
Train Departure/Arrival Info (countdown clocks): ×
Updated/Useful Signage: ✓

Final Verdict: 1/10
 
 

Station Directory

--------Cook County--------
''''''''Zone 1''''''''  
Millennium
Van Buren Street
Museum Campus/11th Street
''''''''Zone 2'''''''' 
18th Street/Soldier's Field
McCormick Place
47th Street (Kenwood)
51st/53rd Street (Hyde Park)
55th-56th-57th Street
University of Chicago/59th Street
63rd Street

- - - - TRAINS TO SOUTH CHICAGO (93RD) BRANCH OFF HERE - - - -

75th Street (Grand Crossing)
79th Street (Chatham)
83rd Street (Avalon Park)
87th Street (Woodruff)
91st Street
95th Street-Chicago State University
103rd Street (Rosemoor)
107th Street
111th Street (Pullman)
Kensington 

- - - - TRAINS TO SOUTH BEND AND BLUE ISLAND BRANCH OFF HERE - - - -
 
Riverdale
Ivanhoe
147th Street (Sibley Boulevard)
Harvey
Hazel Crest
Calumet
''''''''Zone 3'''''''' 
Homewood
Flosswood
Olympia Fields
Matteson
Richeton Park
--------Will County-------- 
University Park 
 
South Chicago Branch
 
--------Cook County--------
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
Stony Island
Bryn Mawr
South Shore
Windsor Park
Cheltenham
83rd Street
87th Street
93rd Street (South Chicago)
 
Blue Island Branch
 
--------Cook County--------
''''''''Zone 2''''''''
State Street
Stewart Ridge
West Pullman
Racine Avenue
Ashland/Calumet Park
Burr Oak
Blue Island 

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