Some South Shore Line trains will make an extra stop for the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo.
On Friday, four westbound trains will stop at McCormick Place upon request between 9:28 a.m. and 1:35 p.m. Four eastbound trains will pick up passengers there between 4:11 and 7:23 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, westbound trains will stop at McCormick Place on request between 9:55 and 11:46 a.m., and eastbound trains will pick up passengers there between 3:37 p.m. and 6:56 p.m.
Additionally, an extra westbound train will leave Carroll Avenue Saturday morning at 8:27, stop at McCormick Place at 9:45 and arrive at Millennium Station at 9:52 a.m. An extra eastbound train will leave Millennium Station at 4:57 p.m. Saturday, stop at McCormick Place at 5:04, and make all local stops from Hegewisch to Carroll Avenue.
Events like C2E2 continue to be a significant source of the South Shore Line's ridership. While overall ticket sales are about 60 percent of 2019 levels, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District says discretionary ridership is strong.
The Chicago Auto Show attracted almost 5,000 passengers this year, while St. Patrick's Day festivities brought more than 11,000, according to NICTD's Nicole Barker. "That's a record, I think, even from before COVID," Barker told the NICTD board last week. "You see that event building up every year, and it's just thrilling to see that discretionary ridership on the weekend. We were very happy."
Now, the South Shore Line has added a "Special Event and Holiday Service" tab to its website. Barker said it will give riders advance notice of when the railroad plans to make extra stops or run extra trains for events.
"We're starting to give a preview all the way through the end of the year, so people can plan their trip accordingly," Barker told board members.
Riders are also taking advantage of the year-round Bikes on Trains program. Previously, bikes were prohibited between over the winter. More than 1,200 Bikes on Trains trips were made between November and February.
