Gary Metro Center (also known as the Adam Benjamin Metro Center) is a multimodal commuter hub operated by the Gary Public Transportation Corporation. It was built in 1984 as an elevated replacement of the previously ground-level Broadway Street station.[2] Named in honor of local Representative Adam Benjamin Jr.,[3] who died in 1982. It serves as the central bus terminal and the Downtown Gary station on the South Shore Line. It also serves as a stop for Greyhound Lines and other intercity bus systems.
Gary Metro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Metro Center station in April 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Adam Benjamin Metro Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | 200 West 4th Avenue Gary, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°36′17″N 87°20′18″W / 41.60472°N 87.33833°W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owned by | The city of Gary, Indiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 low-level island platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connections | Gary Public Transportation Corporation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architect | H. Seay Cantrell Associates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 426 (average weekday)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It is one of three NICTD electric train stations in Gary, and serves the Genesis Convention Center and the U.S. Steel Yard baseball park, home of the Gary SouthShore RailCats baseball team. The RailCats's full name, SouthShore RailCats, honors the South Shore Line.
The station is just south of the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) and the disused Gary Union Station. The tracks of the former Baltimore and Ohio (now CSX) and New York Central Railroads (now Norfolk Southern) also lie near the station.
Structure
editThe station consists of a single elevated low-level island platform with mobile wheelchair lifts to allow passengers with disabilities to board and disembark. The platform can be accessed from the second floor of stairs located adjacent to Broadway as well as via an elevated walkway over a parking lot that connects to the second floor of the station building.[4] The ground floor of the building provides sheltered waiting areas for busses. Surrounding the building lie additional parking.
The second floor used to provide access to an elevated walkway over E4th avenue (US 20) to the south, connecting to the nearby Genesis convention centre, as well as it's parking garage. However, this has been closed since 2020 due to structural issues in the garage, and the centre's closure.[5]
The station was designed by Gary-based architectural firm H. Seay Cantrell Associates.[3]
Bus connections
editGary Public Transportation Corporation
Local Routes
- Route L1: West-Central via Grant
- Route L2: Oak/County Line via Aetna
- Route L3: Crosstown Connector
- Route L4: University Park
Regional Routes
- Route R1: R1: Lakeshore Connection
- Route R3: Burr Street and Lake Ridge
- Route R-BMX: Broadway Metro Express
History
edit
Gary station opened in 1908 as an inaugural stop along the new Chicago, Lake Shore and South Bend Railway; it was located at Broadway and Third,[2] near the United States Steel Corporation plant and several steam railroad stations. The station building had a footprint of 23 by 78 feet (7.0 m × 23.8 m) and featured a tile roof. A 200-foot (61 m) platform, level with car floors, was provided for passengers and freight handling. A storage yard and wye were also provided. It contained a ticket office, waiting rooms, and baggage room.[6] A new station building had replaced the original by the 1950s.[2]
The modern station was dedicated on October 16, 1985.[7]
References
edit- ↑ "2020 State of the System Report" (PDF). Metra. November 2020. p. SSL-4.[permanent dead link]
- 1 2 3 Ogorek 2012, p. 90.
- 1 2 Zdravich, John (November 23, 1986). "Center wins duo design award". The Times. Hammond, Indiana. p. C-5. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "ADA Accessibility" (PDF). Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 21, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
- ↑ Gallenberger, Michael (March 26, 2024). "Hard Rock Casino donates $3 million to help Gary with downtown blight elimination efforts". Lakeshore Public Media| Public Broadcasting for Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
- ↑
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "The Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend Railway" (PDF). Electric Railway Journal. Vol. XXXIII, no. 15. McGraw Publishing Company. April 10, 1909. pp. 681–682. Retrieved August 31, 2025. - ↑ "Benjamin center dedicated". The Times. Hammond, Indiana. October 17, 1985. p. A-2. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Bibliography
edit- Ogorek, Cynthia L. (2012). Along the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Rail Line. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-738-59419-4. OL 25977909M.
External links
edit
Media related to Adam Benjamin Metro Center at Wikimedia Commons- South Shore Line - Stations
- South Shore Railfan.net
- Station from Google Maps Street View
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