After weeks of waiting, the transit agency on Friday unveiled its security plan for the summit. Lauren Jiggetts reports.
Ten of 11 Metra lines will run on a regular schedule during next weekend's NATO Summit, but multiple stations will close and passengers will be subject to screenings and baggage checks.
After weeks of waiting, the transit agency on Friday unveiled its security plan for the summit.
Officials said riders traveling from May 19-21 will be allowed to carry only one bag not larger than 15-by-15 inches and four inches deep. No boxes, luggage, backpacks, bikes, food or liquid will be allowed. There also will be a ban on coffee.
Riders also cannot carry any tools, pipes, stakes, wood, weapons, pocket knives and pepper spray on the trains. Banned items cannot be stored at the stations and must be removed or thrown out, Metra said.
More extensive screenings will be conducted on the Electric Line under McCormick Place, officials said.
The Blue Island branch of the Metra Electric line will be closed for the weekend of May 19-21, along with McCormick Place, 18th, 27th, Kenwood and Museum Campus stations.
A slew of other stations will be closed Monday, May 21, including: 18th, McCormick, 27th, Kenwood, 63rd, 75th, 79th, Museum Campus, Bryn Mawr, Windsor Park, 87th, State, Stewart, West Pullman, Racine, Ashland, Burr Oak, 91st, 95th, 103rd, 107th and 111th stops.
[EDIT: Metra has changed its plans and said the 95th Street station will be open on May 21.]
The South Water entrance to the Millennium station will be closed all three days. Travelers are advised to arrive 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Metra posted alternate routes on the website.
The Chicago Transit Authority already has released initial bus reroutes and has directed travelers to err on the side of rail service for around-town commutes next weekend.
View NATO Metra Station Closures in a larger map
