Grand station (CTA Blue Line)

This article is about the Blue Line station. For the Red Line station, see Grand station (CTA Red Line). For other stations named Grand, see Grand station.

Grand, (Grand/Milwaukee in station announcements) is an 'L' station on the CTA's Blue Line, at Grand Avenue, Halsted Street and Milwaukee Avenue in the southeast corner of the West Town neighborhood. It is also located within the Fulton River District.

Grand   500N 800W
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
General information
Location	502 North Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60622
Coordinates	41°53′28″N 87°38′51″W
Owned by	City of Chicago
Line(s)	Milwaukee–Dearborn subway
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Subway
Depth	35 ft
Bicycle facilities	Yes
History
Opened	February 25, 1951; 73 years ago (1951-02-25)
Closed	February 9, 1992; 32 years ago (1992-02-09) – June 25, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-06-25)
Rebuilt	2019–2020 (2019–2020)
Passengers
2022	479,315[1]  37.9%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Chicago toward O'Hare Blue Line Clark/Lake toward Forest Park
Track layout Legend Blue to O'Hare Blue to Forest Park
Location

History

Grand opened on February 25, 1951, as part of the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway. The Milwaukee-Dearborn subway was the second subway line in Chicago's Loop, since the State Street subway opened 8 years earlier in 1943.

Closure and Reopening

Starting in 1982, Grand was closed during night and weekend hours as a cost savings measure due to low ridership. By 1992, the station was only serving 850 passengers a day, and as a result, the CTA closed the station on February 9, 1992, due to its low ridership and a budget crisis.^[2][3] While the station was closed, the five stairways to the subway platform became garbage-strewn, and the station fell into disrepair. On April 21, 1999, the CTA decided to reopen Grand due to population growth in the area around the station.^[4] After some refurbishment, Grand reopened on June 25, 1999, at 6:00 a.m.^[5]

Bus connections

CTA

• 8 Halsted
• 56 Milwaukee
• 65 Grand

References

1. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2022" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
2. Gillis, Michael (February 2, 1992). "Big bus, L cuts by CTA start next weekend". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 55.
3. "CTA's Cuts Take Effect". Chicago Tribune. February 9, 1992. Section 2, page 2 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Chicago Transit Authority (April 21, 1999). "CTA Announces Plans to Re-open Grand/Milwaukee Blue Line Station" (Press release).
5. Chicago Transit Authority (June 24, 1999). "CTA Re-opens Grand/Milwaukee Blue Line Station" (Press release).

External links

• Grand/Milwaukee Station Page
• Grand Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View

Street level staircase entrance to the station