Madison/Wabash station

Madison/Wabash was a station of the Chicago "L" (elevated) rapid transit system. It served the CTA's Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Lines. From 1919 to 1963, it also served interurban trains of the North Shore Line. The station closed on March 16, 2015,^[1][2] and was replaced by Washington/Wabash, which opened on August 31, 2017.^[3]

Madison/Wabash   0N/0S 44E
Former Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
General information
Location	2 North Wabash Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60602
Coordinates	41.882023°N 87.626098°W / 41.882023; -87.626098
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Loop Elevated
Platforms	2 Side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
History
Opened	November 8, 1896; 128 years ago (1896-11-08)
Closed	March 16, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-03-16)
Passengers
2012	2,036,939  8.9%
Former services
Preceding station Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad Following station Randolph/Wabash toward Milwaukee North Shore Line Adams/Wabash One-way operation Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Randolph/Wabash One-way operation Orange Line Adams/Wabash toward Midway Randolph/Wabash toward Harlem/Lake Green Line Adams/Wabash toward Ashland/63rd or Cottage Grove Randolph/Wabash One-way operation Purple Line Express Adams/Wabash toward Linden Pink Line Adams/Wabash toward 54th/Cermak Randolph/Wabash toward Kimball Brown Line Adams/Wabash One-way operation
Track layout Legend Brown and Green Lines north to Kimball and Harlem/Lake Madison St. Purple, Orange, Green, and Pink Lines south to Linden, Midway , Ashland/63rd, Cottage Grove, and 54th/Cermak
Location

There are no remnants of the Madison/Wabash station in the original location, but a large amount of the station was sold in pieces and preserved as art items.^[4] The station was located at Madison Street and Wabash Avenue in the Chicago Loop.

History

Madison/Wabash station opened on November 8, 1896, along with two other stations on the Wabash portion of the Loop Elevated.^[5][6]

Replacement station

Further information: Washington/Wabash station

Madison/Wabash closed on March 16, 2015, after Sunday service in the Loop ceased for the night. The entrances were boarded up by morning-time, and trains started bypassing the station when Monday morning service started. The station sat abandoned until demolition commenced in May 2015. During the weekend of May 23–24, 2015, the entire Inner Loop platform was completely removed. On June 6, 2015, the transfer bridge was completely removed. During the weekend of June 20–21, 2015, the entire Outer Loop platform was completely removed. From July to August 2015, the station house, the fare controls, and the mezzanine were removed. The Washington/Wabash station opened on August 31, 2017.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Station house during its final week of service
• 
  Station house in 2012
• 
  Madison/Wabash station in August 2001

References

1. Swartz, Tracy (March 2, 2015). "Madison/Wabash 'L' station to close March 16". RedEye. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
2. "Customer Alert: Madison/Wabash Station Closure". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
3. Koziarz, Jay (August 31, 2017). "Chicago's new Washington-Wabash 'L' station officially opens". Curbed Chicago.
4. Bentley, Chris (September 2, 2015). "Chicago recycled an old rapid-transit station and sold its pieces at public auction". The Architect's Newspaper.
5. "A Farewell to The Loop's Madison-Wabash Station". Curbed Chicago. March 13, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
6. "Chicago L.org: Stations - Madison/Wabash". www.chicago-l.org. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
7. "CTA Opens New 'L' Station in Loop". CBS. August 31, 2017.

External links

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-1-I, "Union Elevated Railroad, Madison-Wabash Avenue Station"
• Madison/Wabash Station Page at Chicago-L.org
• Madison Street entrance from Google Maps Street View