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| Station statistics | |||||||||||
| Address | 4612 West 59th Street Chicago, Illinois 60629 |
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| Lines | |||||||||||
| Connections | Pace Buses | ||||||||||
| Structure | Surface Level | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 island platform, 1 side platform |
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| Tracks | 3 | ||||||||||
| Parking | 299 Spaces | ||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||
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| Opened | October 31, 1993 | ||||||||||
| Accessible | |||||||||||
| Owned by | Chicago Transit Authority | ||||||||||
| Traffic | |||||||||||
| Passengers (2009) | 2,693,284[1] 2.8% | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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Midway is a station of the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Orange Line. It is the southwestern terminus of the Orange Line, and serves Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, the city's second-largest airport. Most of this station's passengers are airport customers, and the turnstiles at the station's entrance are somewhat wider than most to accommodate their luggage. The station, along with the rest of the Orange Line, opened on October 31, 1993, after a long wait by Chicago's southwest side for 'L' access. It is also the closest station to Toyota Park home of the Chicago Fire Major League Soccer Team, which is approximately four miles away.
Prior to 1993, the southwest side was only served by the Douglas Park Branch of the 'L'. As the city expanded, this service became insufficient. During the 1940s, when subways were being constructed under State and Dearborn Streets, the city planned to expand the “L” to Midway Airport. However, this plan did not pan out.
On January 22, 1990, there was a groundbreaking ceremony held at the future site of Midway Station. Many people attended, including Mayor Daley, Bernard Ford, the CTA Acting Executive Director, and David Williams, the Chicago public works commissioner). In 1993, the CTA finished building the new orange line. It cost about 500 million dollars, despite the use of abandoned railroad right-of-ways. Midway Station now includes: a three-track terminal, a yard, a car maintenance facility, an island platform, elevators leading to the sidewalk, and escalators and stairs connecting to the moving walkway heading to the airport.
When the garage was built on the east side of Cicero, it bisected the walkway from the station to the airport. In 2002, the Department of Aviation built a walkway through the garage. Although people still have to cross traffic lanes in two to three places, conditions are now safer then they were when people had to cross the traffic filled garage. Now, metal bumpers protect the walkers in the garage.