Western station (CTA Brown Line)

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Western is an 'L' station on the CTA's Brown Line. It is an elevated station with two side platforms, located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. The adjacent stations are Rockwell, which is located about one-quarter mile (0.40 km) to the west, and Damen, about one-half mile (0.80 km) to the east. Between Western and Rockwell the line descends and runs on ground level tracks for the rest of the route to Kimball.

Western
 
2400W
4700N
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
General information
Location4648 North Western Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625
Coordinates41°57′59″N 87°41′18″W / 41.966259°N 87.688448°W / 41.966259; -87.688448
Owned byChicago Transit Authority
Line(s)Ravenswood Branch
Platforms2 Side platforms
Tracks3
Construction
Structure typeElevated
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedMay 18, 1907; 117 years ago (1907-05-18)[1]
Rebuiltcirca 1928; 96 years ago (1928),
1979–1981; 43 years ago (1981)
Passengers
2020436,879[2]Decrease 65.3%
Rank53 out of 143
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station
Rockwell
toward Kimball
Brown Line Damen
Location
Map

History

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Belin Wall Monument inside the station
 
The Western station house in 2023

The station was put into service in 1907 as part of Northwestern Elevated Railroad's Ravenswood line, and has been rebuilt twice since—in the late 1920s, and again from 1979 to 1981.[3] The current station consists of two side platforms, and a central storage line. Its platforms were extended in 2006–07 to enable the station to accommodate eight railcars as part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project.[4]

Chicago's Berlin Wall Monument is located inside of the station. Chicago was offered a piece of the wall in 2008 by the German government. The city chose to place the monument in the historically German-American Lincoln Square neighborhood. It is dedicated to the citizens of Chicago for helping "secure the freedom" of Berlin.[5]

Bus connections

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CTA

  • 11 Lincoln
  • 49 Western (Owl Service)
  • 49B North Western
  • X49 Western Express (Weekday Rush Hours only)

References

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  1. ^ "New 'L' Line Operated". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 19, 1907. p. 11.
  2. ^ "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2020" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ Western. Chicago "L".org (URL accessed September 17, 2006)
  4. ^ "Western". Countdown to a New Brown. CTA. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  5. ^ "German Neighborhood in Chicago - Lincoln Square and Ravenswood". Chicago Dossier. Denali Multimedia LLC. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
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