Grand station (CTA Red Line) explained

Custom Header:
Grand
Line1:Red
Grid:530N 0E/0W
Size:.9
Address:521 North State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60654
Coordinates:41.8917°N -87.628°W
Type:Chicago "L" rapid transit station
Style:CTA
Line:State Street subway
Structure:Subway
Platform:2 side platforms
Tracks:2
Depth:33feet
Opened:October 17, 1943
Rebuilt:2007 - 12 (station renovation)
Accessible:true
Owned:City of Chicago
Pass Year:2022
Passengers:1,756,209[1]
Pass Percent:27.8
Mapframe:yes
Mapframe-Custom:
Shape:none
Marker:rail-metro
Marker-Color:
  1. c60c30
Zoom:15
Map State:collapsed

Grand, (Grand/State in station announcements) is an "L" station on the CTA's Red Line. It serves Navy Pier, which is accessible via bus on Illinois Street one block south.

Location

The first stop north of the Chicago River on the Red Line, Grand station is located in the River North neighborhood of the city. More specifically, it lies underneath North State Street at its intersection with Grand Avenue. Due to its central location, it serves a number of landmarks in Chicago, including Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile to the east.

History

Grand opened on October 17, 1943, as part of the State Street subway,[2] which forms the central portion of what is now the Red Line between and stations.

During the 1950s, the CTA implemented skip-stop service throughout the "L" system. Under this service pattern, Grand station was designated as AB along with all other downtown stations (on the Red Line, those stops south of and north of were given AB designations).[3] As a result, all trains stopped at these stations. The skip-stop service was discontinued due to budget cuts in the 1990s.

Renovation

In line with other downtown stations, Grand station underwent renovation from 2007 until 2012. The project doubled the station's capacity through a 2000square feet mezzanine expansion as well as widening stairways and adding elevators.[4] The final cost for the renovation was $73.6 million.[5]

Unlike most State Street subway stations, Grand uses a side platform configuration with two tracks. This setup does exist, however, at Chicago/State and stations. There are entrances from street level at all corners of the intersection of North State Street and Grand Avenue. One level below street level lies a mezzanine containing fare control, while the platforms are located beneath the mezzanine.

Operations and connections

In the era immediately before the State Street subway opened, Grand Avenue had a streetcar service from either Harlem Avenue or Western Avenue (cars alternated between them) in the west to Navy Pier in the east. However, service was cut back from Navy Pier on September 28, 1941, and the tracks were removed on August 14, 1943. Buses began supplementing streetcar service to serve the Grand stations on the North Side Main Line and the State Street subway and relieve streetcar congestion, the service was extended to the entirety of the route on December 4, 1949; buses would replace streetcars altogether on April 1, 1951.

CTA

Other

Works cited

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annual Ridership Report  - Calendar Year 2022 . Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. February 2, 2023 . June 9, 2023 .
  2. News: Chicago Underground – A Subway at Last! . William . Shinnick . Chicago Daily Tribune . October 17, 1943 . C1 .
  3. Web site: 1957 Chicago 'L' system map. Chicago-L.org. February 8, 2011.
  4. Web site: At last, rehab work will arrive at Grand. Jon. Hilkevitch. July 2, 2007. Chicago Tribune. February 8, 2011.
  5. Web site: Newly Renovated Grand Avenue Red Line Stop Unveiled. cbslocal.com. January 17, 2012 .
  6. Web site: Navy Pier Trolley Route Map . https://web.archive.org/web/20090806093542/http://www.navypier.com/visit_us/pdf/trolleystoproute.pdf . dead . 2009-08-06 . navypier.com .