Chicago station (CTA Red Line)

Chicago   800N 0E/0W
Location	800 North State Street Chicago, IL 60654
Coordinates	41°53′48″N 87°37′42″W / 41.896679°N 87.6282°W / 41.896679; -87.6282
Owned by	City of Chicago
Line(s)	Red Line
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	October 17, 1943
Rebuilt	1999–2001 (station renovation)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	5,262,538  0%
Rank	3 out of 143
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station State Street Subway Clark/Division toward Howard Red Line Grand toward 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line Rush period special Grand toward Ashland/63rd
Route map Red Line north to Howard Red Line south to 95th/Dan Ryan
Location

Chicago (also Chicago/State in station announcements) is a rapid transit station on the Red Line of the Chicago 'L'. It serves a significant portion of the Near North Side and Streeterville neighborhoods. With 5,259,992 overall boardings in 2014, it is the busiest station on the Red Line north of the Loop.

The second stop on the Red Line north of the Chicago River, Chicago station lies in the central portion of the Near North Side. Specifically, it is located underneath the intersection of State Street and Chicago Avenue. It is three blocks west of the northern section of the Magnificent Mile; the Chicago Water Tower is located on that strip at the intersection of Chicago and Michigan Avenues. It is also the closest 'L' station to the John Hancock Center, Holy Name Cathedral, the Rush Street entertainment district, and the downtown campus of Loyola University Chicago. The Chicago campus of the Moody Bible Institute is also nearby.

The Chicago station opened on October 17, 1943, as part of the State Street Subway, which forms the central portion of what is now the Red Line between North/Clybourn and Roosevelt stations.

During the 1950s, the CTA implemented skip-stop service throughout the 'L' system. Under this service pattern, Chicago was designated as AB along with all other downtown stations (on the Red Line, those stops south of Clark/Division and north of Cermak were given AB designations). As a result, all trains stopped at these stations. The skip-stop service was ended due to budget cuts in the 1990s.

From 1999 until 2001, Chicago underwent renovation and refurbishment, in line with other stations of the State Street Subway. Work included making the station ADA-compliant, with new elevators, redone flooring, retiling, and increased mezzanine space.