Cermak–Chinatown station

Not to be confused with Cermak–McCormick Place or 54th/Cermak.

Cermak-Chinatown is an 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line. The station is located in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood and contains many elements of Chinese culture in its architecture.

Cermak–Chinatown   2200S 200W
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
Station platform, looking north towards Federal Junction and the Orange Line tracks
General information
Location	138 West Cermak Road Chicago, Illinois 60616
Coordinates	41.853206°N 87.630968°W / 41.853206; -87.630968
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Dan Ryan Branch
Platforms	1 Island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	CTA bus
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Parking	Yes
Bicycle facilities	Yes (south entrance only)
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	September 28, 1969
Rebuilt	2009–11 (renovation) 2013 (refurbished)
Previous names	Cermak (station sign)
Passengers
2022	874,515[1]  34.3%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Roosevelt toward Howard Red Line Sox–35th toward 95th/Dan Ryan
Former services Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Adams/Wabash toward Harlem/Lake Lake–Dan Ryan Line Sox–35th toward 95th/Dan Ryan
Track layout Legend Red north to Howard Archer Ave. Cermak Rd. Red south to 95th/Dan Ryan
Location

The station has two tile murals with "Welcome to Chinatown" also written in Chinese. Passengers using the stairs or escalator are welcomed by a couple of lion statues, called "foo dogs," meant to protect against evil spirits at the entrance. The bins on the platform are painted in red and green, the Chinese color for prosperity and longevity, with Welcome written in Chinese on the next one.

Like the other eight stations of the Dan Ryan Branch, Cermak–Chinatown was built by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, looking identical to 95th/Dan Ryan. Customers outside the station can also see Chinese character masks of Chinese opera and theater productions on the walls. Cermak–Chinatown is open 24/7 as part of the service on the Red Line. In 2014, an annual total of 1,567,588 passengers boarded this station.^[2]

History

Truck collision

The new main entrance in 2011

On April 25, 2008, a semi truck crashed into the station, killing two and injuring 21, at least seven critically.^[3] Part of the station collapsed after the impact.^[4] Bystanders said that the driver of the truck was coming off the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway exit.^[3] The truck driver was taken into custody and died later in the year.^[5]

Renovation

The original station (designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) had undergone updates since its opening in 1969. After the truck collision, however, CTA officials planned to fully rebuild the station house, with construction beginning in fall 2009. On June 4, 2010, a new auxiliary entrance/exit opened at Archer Avenue, to provide convenient access to 62 Archer buses as well as to Chinatown Square and the Richland Center.^[6] On April 15, 2011, the main entrance on the north side of Cermak Road reopened and was upgraded with an elevator making it accessible to people with disabilities. The auxiliary entrance on the south side of Cermak Road reopened on April 30, 2011.^[7][8]

Cermak-Chinatown, like all Dan Ryan Branch Red Line stations, closed from May 19, 2013 to October 20, 2013 for the Red Line South Reconstruction Project.^[9] A free shuttle bus carried passengers from Cermak-Chinatown to Roosevelt to allow connections to the rerouted Red Line trains on the South Side Elevated.

Bus connections

CTA

• 21 Cermak
• 24 Wentworth (Weekdays Only)
• 62 Archer

References

1. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2022" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
2. "Monthly Ridership Report – December 2014" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority Ridership Analysis and Reporting. March 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
3. "Two killed, at least 21 injured after truck crashes into CTA Red Line station in Chinatown". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. 2008-04-26. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
4. "At least 2 dead after semi rams train station". Associated Press. 2008-04-25. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
5. "2 killed, 21 hurt as truck slams into Red Line stop". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times News Group. 2008-04-26. Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
6. "New entrance for Chinatown 'L' station opens Friday". Chicago Breaking News Center. June 3, 2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
7. "Cermak-Chinatown Station Main Entrance Reopens". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
8. "Cermak-Chinatown Station Renovation". Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-30. Retrieved 2015-04-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links

• Media related to Cermak-Chinatown (CTA) at Wikimedia Commons
• Cermak-Chinatown Station Page at the CTA website
• Cermak-Chinatown Station Page at Chicago-L.org