CHICAGO — CTA crews are progressing on a new L station that is slated to open next spring.
The $75 million Washington/Wabash station in the Loop will consolidate and replace the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stations. The Madison/Wabash station closed on March 16, 2015.
Located between Madison and Washington streets, the new station will serve trains on the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple lines, and officials say the new station will be a gateway for Millennium Park and the Loop. Work on the new station began in March 2015.
“The Loop is the center of this city and the heart of our economy, and we need dependable transportation downtown to ensure our city continues to grow and thrive,” Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, said in a September 2014 news release. “These critical transportation improvements will move people easily to and through the central business district – from the transportation hubs on the west side of the Loop, to the shopping and businesses on State Street and Michigan Avenue.”
Officials said they are tapping the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds to cover the cost of construction.
In 2013, officials said the station was to be open this year. Once in service, the station is expected to see more than 4 million annual rides, which would make it the fifth busiest CTA station on weekdays.
