Oakton–Skokie (CTA station)

Oakton–Skokie
The main entrance to Oakton–Skokie in 2012
Location	4800 West Oakton Street Skokie, Illinois 60076
Coordinates	42°01′38″N 87°44′51″W / 42.0273°N 87.7476°W / 42.0273; -87.7476
Owned by	Village of Skokie
Line(s)	Yellow Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2 tracks
Connections	CTA and Pace buses
Construction
Structure type	Street Level
Bicycle facilities	yes
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	March 28, 1925 (original station opened) April 30, 2012 (current station opened)
Closed	March 27, 1948 (original station closed)
Rebuilt	2010–2012
Previous names	Oakton
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	149,883  50.2%
Rank	143 out of 143
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station Dempster-Skokie Terminus Yellow Line Howard Terminus
Route map Skokie Boulevard Searle Pkwy. Yellow Line north to Dempster–Skokie Kiss and Ride Oakton St. Yellow Line south to Howard

Oakton–Skokie is a rapid transit station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Yellow Line, which serves Skokie's downtown. Previously, a station existed at this location which was in operation as part of the CTA's Niles Center Route from 1925 until 1948, and later demolished in 1964. The current station opened on April 30, 2012.

In the 1920s, both the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the North Shore Line (an interurban railroad linking Chicago and Milwaukee) existed under the private ownership of Samuel Insull. The North Shore Line's original route to Milwaukee ran through numerous North Shore communities that had become densely settled. In order to provide faster service between Chicago and Milwaukee, the North Shore Line decided to build a high-speed bypass several miles west of its original line. The new route would traverse the Skokie Valley and converge with the 'L' at Howard. In an attempt to encourage development in the village of Niles Center on the southern portion of the line, the Chicago Rapid Transit Company would operate rapid transit service as far as Dempster Street.

The new "Niles Center Route" included several intermediate stations served only by the Chicago Rapid Transit Company, including one at Oakton Street, just a few blocks from the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Oakton Street where the business district of Niles Center was forming. Arthur U. Gerber, staff architect for Samuel Insull, designed the station in the Prairie School style, similar to the Dempster station at the end of the line. The station at Oakton was smaller and set between the tracks, with a single high-level island platform projecting from the rear of the station house.