New CTA Loop “L” station opens at Washington/Wabash
Written by Maggie Lancaster, assistant editor
CTA
Chicago's first new downtown "L" station in 20 years opened yesterday. The Washington/Wabash Station is considered to be a gateway to Millennium Park and the east Loop.
It is expected to become one of CTA’s top ten busiest rail stations, providing more than 10,000 rides on a daily basis on the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines.
“The new CTA station at Washington and Wabash represents the best of Chicago’s heritage of architectural innovation and ingenuity while creating modern amenities for the thousands of travelers who utilize it every day,” Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. “We have made unprecedented investments to modernize transportation throughout Chicago and this new station combines that commitment with our city’s culture.”
The new station, located between Madison and Washington Streets, over Wabash Avenue, replaces two stations that we built more than 120 years ago. It is the first fully-accessible station for persons with disabilities. Washington/Wabash Station features four elevators, an escalator and a wide platform. The station also has multiple surveillance cameras to enhance passenger safety as well as real-time train arrival information.
“This station will ensure people with disabilities will have an accessible stop on the east side of the Loop, opening new opportunities to access the city like never before,” Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Karen Tamley said. “It also brings us one step closer to creating 100 percent CTA rail station accessibility across the system and putting us even farther ahead of other legacy systems.”
The $75-million new station was funded through federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program.
Demolition for one of the stations it’s replacing at Randolph and Wabash is slated for completion by the end of 2017. The station will permanently close Sept. 3.
The Washington/Wabash station is the latest in Mayor Emanuel and CTA’s $8 billion transit improvement projects to build a 21st century, world-class transit system.
