In January 2012, CTA and the City of Chicago announced a major project to construct a new station at Cermak on the South Side part of the Green Line. The groundbreaking for the station project was held in August 2013 and the station and opened in February, 2015.
The Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line station is the first station at that location since 1977. This new station fills in a major gap in CTA service that once existed at McCormick Place since the previous station was removed from service and demolished.
The Cermak station is be the 146th CTA station. The construction project was managed by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The station is located near the intersection of Cermak Avenue and State Street and directly west of the McCormick Place convention center. The new station is located in the two-mile stretch between the existing Roosevelt and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT Green Line stations and will provide much needed access to rapid transit for neighborhood residents and businesses, including McCormick Place.
The $50 million station is part of $92 million in overall transportation investments, including the rehabilitation of the Roosevelt and Harrison stations on the Red Line and the 18th Street Connector used by the Orange Line, which will significantly revitalize the near south side of the city, and is a community improvement funded by Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds. The project is part of $4 billion in investments that have been ongoing on CTA.
Here are some of the station design's highlights to look forward to at this new station:
- A steel and glass canopy that’ll bathe the platform in natural light by day and protect passengers from the elements
- Easy access on foot directly to McCormick Place, neighborhood businesses (including restaurants and nightlife), Motor Row and Chinatown
- An open platform for easy movement in and through the station without columns and few
- Elevators for easy access by people with disabilities, as well as those with strollers or carts
- Bicycle parking
- Bright lighting through the station
- State-of-the-art security including passenger call buttons and cameras that record activity
- Digital passenger information systems to let riders know when the next train is expected to arrive or if something is affecting service
- Convenient bus connections to a number of CTA bus routes, including the #1 Bronzeville/Union Station, #4 Cottage Grove, #21 Cermak and #29 State.
- Three entrances/exits: One on each side of Cermak Road (2200S) and one at 23rd Street (2300S)
Photos
More reading