Abandoned and Disused Stations of the CTA 'L' System
Published 2011-01-26
Along the way and throughout the years, many stations on the CTA's system have been closed, demolished, abandoned as-is or rebuilt, notably starting in 1949 with a massive round of station closures and demolitions, just after the Chicago Transit Authority was formed (in 1947) to take over and consolidate the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (the 'L' and subways) and the Chicago Surface Lines (streetcars and buses). Most of the stations closed were to improve train speeds and efficiencies- quite a few stations of the CRT era were two blocks apart!
More station closings happened in 1973, when the CTA was in the midst of its first (of many) major budget crises. Stations in neighborhoods that had declined were shut, and stops that had low ridership in general were axed. This pattern happened again in the mid-80s, and again in the mid-90s, until the early 2000s, when ridership began to increase dramatically all over the system- new lines had been built and others completely re-built, causing station closures and re-openings.
I have included most, but not all, stations of the CTA system that are currently either abandoned as-is, demolished with some evidence of their past existence, or sections of stations currently in-service that are disused and abandoned. Most of the abandoned pre-CTA stations are impossible to detect, but I have included a couple where they still exist. Station descriptions are between footage in the video, limited to their length by Windows Movie Maker.... Enjoy the history!
All Comments (21)
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Love this vid. It really captures the Chicago feel of cold Steel and concrete. It really captures what public transportation and passenger train travel has become in the US. It needs to be updated and revitalized. Only we as riders can do that. Again cool vid. And as a side bar... obviously this person recording had authorization to make a movie or he/ she knew where to go and not to go prior to recording.
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Fascinating! I worked for CTA on West/Northwest lines [Logan Square; Cicero-Berwyn; Desplaines] and the Lake St. El in early '60s. So much has changed! Thanks!
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The green line has the most history and historical presence out of all the lines....All 3 of its branches constitute the oldest rail transit in the city....I hear there is talk of re-extending the green line cottage grove line back to Jackson Park or Dorchester as it still has all of the steel that was removed in 1997 at the 63rd street lower yard. That would be phenomenal as they never should have taken it down in the first place as they already had the line to Dorchester as the new terminal. I don't know how they would do it now considering Apostolic Church of God has both parcels at Dorchester west of the IC/Metra tracks. It would be better to extend it back to Stony Island like it was prior to 1982.
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You guys should do an updated video since some stations have closed and reopened due to renovation, others that have been closed years ago but reopened and give an update on why the Washington transfer stop was closed
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Also the old Wilson outer platforms on the North Side Main are currently in the process of being demolished and replaced in addition to the replacement of all four tracks in that vicinity as part of the total reconstruction of the Wilson station as a transfer station between the Red and Purple Lines. The old southbound side outer platform has already been demolished and replaced along with that outer track, which is now a little closer inward, as of March 21st of this year. What served as the island platform between north and southbound Red Line trains will be replaced by what will become the shared transfer platform between Red and Purple Line northbound trains. So your video caught a piece of what's now becoming CTA history.
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I'm glad the CTA reopened Cermak-McCormick Place. The station name bothers me; McCormick place is a few blocks from the station. If I had my choice, the station's name would be just Cermak.
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You're an old BMT rider? Wilson, with the split tracks and disused platform, is straight outta Atlantic Av. on the L-Canarsie line before they simplified it in the early twenty-oh's. And the L-Canarsie line has its own weird "Wilson," next to the cemetery, one platform above ground, the other below!
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@HarvestmanMan It was built as a provision for a future third track for the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin interurban line to the western suburbs. The CA&E was abandoned in the late '50s, not long after this line in the median of the expressway was finished, so the tunnel and extra room in the median was never used. Before the expressway was built, the CA&E used the now-gone 'L' tracks to reach downtown Chicago.
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The Green Line Cermak Station is getting rebuilt. It will open late 2014.
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As a native south side Chicagoan, it's depressing to see how the neighborhoods around these stations have emptied out, which is the reason so many station were closed on both the south and west sides. When the city is resorting to selling vacant lots to adjacent homeowners for a dollar, the problem has definitely gotten out of hand.
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24:20 CTA Purple Line Isabella Station can be seen on a classic TV series The Bob Newhart Show (1970s) as part of the shows "long form" opening credits..in fact those credits feature a blooper that sharp eyed Chicagoans would spot...4 different types of CTA cars were used to illustrate a single Evanston Express ( as it was known then) train first shot was an early production 6000 series car (one of the first 200 cars built...then a 2000 series car...both shots at Randolph/Wabash Station)...then a late production car (one of the last 600 cars built...long distance shot on Wells St Bridge)...then a 1/50 series car at Isabella St...
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was waiting for the wilson stop. had to get off at the abandoned platform there about 2 yrs ago due to a derailment. lol thanks for the vid
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The embankment near the Green Line Indiana station was actually for a freight line that connected the Illinois Central lakefront main line to the Union Stock Yards. The line of that embankment can be clearly seen on aerial views continuing to the west to a now-abandoned junction with the Rock Island, and then proceeding further west as an active freight line on the other side of the Dan Ryan.
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The old blue line "California " stop once serviced the workers at Anderson Forge & Magikist. It's now a ghost platform.
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That's where the never-built Lake subway would have connected. There was some brainstorming a few years ago about connecting a potential future near westside 'outer loop' subway/L line there, but nothing concrete.
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All of those former stops you mentioned have all been demolished. There's barely any remnants left. The 58th St. station was the last to go, demolished in early 2012. You can see a tiny remnant of platform left for the Wentworth Station if you're driving on the Dan Ryan. The thing is that the closing of Wentworth and Harvard has created a two-mile gap between the Garfield station on the Green Line to Halsted Station on the Ashland branch. Really, the Ashland Branch just has 2 stations.
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16:57 my favorite abandoned blue line station central
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This is fascinating!
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yes58th was a station on the cta green line but it closed in 1994
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Surprised no one has mentioned the far west side track and platform at Wilson used to be for the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee RR
