Cicero station (CTA Blue Line)

For other 'L' stations on the Chicago Transit Authority named Cicero, see Cicero (disambiguation) § CTA stations.

Cicero is a station on the 'L' system, serving the Blue Line's Forest Park branch. It is located in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway and serving the Austin neighborhood. Originally, Cicero had an additional entrance at Lavergne Avenue, but this was closed on May 16, 1977, by the CTA as a cost-cutting measure. The structure for this exit still stands but it is closed to the public.

Cicero   4800W 700S
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
General information
Location	720 South Cicero Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60644
Coordinates	41.871574°N 87.745154°W / 41.871574; -87.745154
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Forest Park Branch
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Expressway median
History
Opened	June 22, 1958; 66 years ago (1958-06-22)
Passengers
2022	197,380[1]  5.9%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Austin toward Forest Park Blue Line Pulaski toward O'Hare
Former services Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Central Closed 1973 toward Des Plaines Congress branch Kostner Closed 1973 toward Jefferson Park as an elevated station (pre-1958) Laramie toward Des Plaines Garfield Park branch Kilbourn toward Marshfield
Track layout Legend Blue to O'Hare IL 50 (Cicero Ave.) I-290 (Eisenhower Expy.) Ramp to Lavergne Ave. closed Lavergne Ave. pedestrian bridge Blue to Forest Park
Location

This is the last station on the Forest Park branch within the Chicago city limits. It is located a short distance from the Town of Cicero.

History

Elevated station

The original Cicero station (then called 48th Avenue station) opened in 1895 along with several other stations on the Garfield Park branch of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated. It was a terminal station until its 1902 extension to 52nd Avenue station, an Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railroad station.^[2] With the implementation of skip-stop service on the Garfield Park branch on December 9, 1951, this station was designated an AB station, meaning all trains stop at this station.^[3] The elevated station was eventually closed in 1958 in favor of a newly-built replacement station on the median of the Congress Expressway.

Expressway-median station

The current station opened on June 22, 1958, on the Congress branch.^[4] Unlike its elevated predecessor, the station was designated an A station. During the time the CTA used skip-stop service, A trains west of Racine station continued along the Congress branch while B trains was routed along the Douglas branch (today's Pink Line).^[5] A ramp connection to Lavergne Avenue pedestrian overpass was also open until 1977.^[4]

Bus connections

CTA

• 7 Harrison (Weekdays only)
• 54 Cicero
• 57 Laramie

Pace

• 305 East Roosevelt Road
• 316 Laramie Avenue (Monday-Saturday only)
• 392 Green Line Cicero CTA/UPS Hodgkins (Weekday UPS shifts only)

References

1. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2022" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. "Cicero (48th Avenue)". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
3. "CTA revises Garfield, Douglas, institutes A-B service". Chicago Tribune. 1 December 1951. p. 4. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
4. "Cicero". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
5. Chicago Transit Authority System Map (Map). Chicago Transit Authority. March 1991. Retrieved 1 February 2025.

External links

• Cicero (Congress Line) Station Page
• LaVergne Avenue entrance (closed) from Google Maps Street View
• Cicero Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View