Addison Blue Line station temporarily closed; free shuttle buses will be provided
The Chicago Transit Authority is notifying Blue Line customers that the Addison station will be temporarily closed over the weekend due to construction as part of the Your New Blue program. Customers are advised to allow extra travel time.
This weekend, CTA is also providing extra service to upcoming events at the United Center.
Addison Blue Line station closure
The Addison Blue Line station will be temporarily closed beginning Friday, March 4 at 10 p.m. until Monday, March 7 at 4 a.m. During this time, Blue Line trains traveling in both directions will bypass the Addison station.
Free shuttle bus service will be provided between the Addison and Belmont Blue Line stations throughout the temporarily closure. O’Hare and Forest Park-bound customers at Addison can access Blue Line trains by taking the free shuttle buses to the Belmont station. Blue Line customers traveling to the Addison station will need to exit at Belmont and then transfer to the free bus shuttle.
The temporary closure is part of the next phase of the Your New Blue program which is modernizing the Addison, Irving Park, Montrose, Harlem and Cumberland Blue Line stations. The work at Addison began November 2015 and also includes the addition of an elevator to make the station fully accessible.
With the exception of customers who use the Addison station, Blue Line riders will see little to no impact to service.
Upcoming partial station closures
In the coming weeks, as crews make progress on Addison station improvements, project work will require a three-week temporary closure of half of the station platform in each direction. During these partial platform closures, trains that normally serve the closed portion of the platform will bypass the station, requiring customers to “back-ride” – which entails traveling one stop beyond Addison and transferring to a train operating in the opposite direction to exit at Addison. Partial platform closures at Addison are scheduled for the following dates:
- Forest Park-bound side closed, trains bypass station: March 15-April 5
- O’Hare-bound side closed, trains bypass station: April 5-April 25
During these partial platform closures, customers who use the Addison Blue Line station may want to consider using the adjacent Irving Park or Belmont stations, where trains will stop in both directions at all times. Customers can also use the #80 Irving Park and #77 Belmont buses to connect to these stations. Blue Line riders not using the Addison station will see little to no impacts to service.
Customers are also advised to use the #80, #77, or #152 Addison bus to connect to the Brown Line or Red Line farther east for trips to downtown. North-south buses in the area to connect to the Blue Line, such as the #82 Kimball/Homan connecting to Belmont station or #53 Pulaski connecting to Irving Park station, the #56 Milwaukee to Logan Square or Jefferson Park stations or all the way downtown, or other buses.
In December 2013, the CTA and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Your New Blue, the largest service improvement project on the Blue Line since it was extended to O’Hare Airport in 1984. For more information on the Your New Blue project, please visit: http://www.transitchicago.com/yournewblue/.
United Center Events
The CTA will operate the #19 United Center Express for customers attending upcoming events at the United Center:
- Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. – Chicago Bulls vs. Houston Rockets
- Sunday, March 6 at 4 p.m. – Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings
- Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m. – Chicago Bulls vs. Milwaukee Bucks
- Thursday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m. – The Who
- Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m. – Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat
Bus Service:
#19 United Center Express buses will leave from Michigan and Randolph beginning approximately two hours before the start of each event. After each event, #19 buses will operate for approximately one hour and await customers on the north side of the United Center eastbound on Madison near Gate 3.
#50 Damen service is also a good option for customers to access the United Center from the north and south, making connections to the Orange, Pink, Blue and Brown lines. Northbound and southbound #50 buses stop on Damen at Madison. Northbound buses will await customers on Damen at Madison after each event.
Rail Service:
CTA’s Ashland/Lake station, served by the Green and Pink lines, is located a few blocks northeast of the United Center. Customers exiting at the station can transfer to #9 Ashland buses or simply walk a few blocks to the stadium. Customers taking the Blue Line can get to the United Center by exiting at the Illinois Medical District station and walking a few blocks north to the United Center.
Stay in the Loop on CTA service
Plan your trip using the Google Transit Trip Planner. Be sure to also check out CTA on Facebook or Twitter (@CTA) for system travel updates and alerts. For details about all CTA service, call 312-836-7000 or visit the CTA website at transitchicago.com.
# # #