06/05/00
At a press conference Monday, Chicago Transit Authority President Frank Kruesi announced that beginning Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11, six downtown area 'L' and subway stations and seven station entrances that are currently closed late at night or on weekends will be open at all hours that trains are in service.
Among the stations to be kept open 24 hours daily is Harrison on the Red Line, where longer hours are expected to benefit students, faculty and staff at nearby Roosevelt University, Columbia College, and William Jones Metropolitan High School, as well as residents of the South Loop community.
The changes, which were approved by the CTA Board at its May meeting, are part of an ongoing CTA effort to expand service where the demand calls for it and add convenience for customers. Other improvements being implemented this summer include extending hours for #6 Jeffery Express bus service to downtown and running Brown Line 'L' service to the Loop later on Saturdays and all day Sundays and holidays to match service on other lines.
"With all the new development in the Loop and downtown area, there is a growing demand for service at night and on weekends," said CTA President Frank Kruesi. "By keeping all our stations and station entrances open at all hours trains are in service, it will be more convenient for customers to come downtown for concerts and shows, visit museums or enjoy any of the other cultural activities that are available to them."
The three subway stations that have been closed evenings and on weekends and holidays, and will now be open 24 hours daily, starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, June 10, are:
Blue Line
"?" LaSalle/Congress
Chicago
Red Line
Harrison
The three Loop 'L' stations that will now remain open at all hours trains operate, starting at 7 a.m. Sunday, June 11, instead of being closed Sundays and holidays, are:
Green/Orange Lines
"?"Madison/Wabash
Orange Line
"?"LaSalle/Van Buren
Washington/Wells
(Brown and Purple Line Express trains also serve these stations, but they do not operate to the Loop at the times the stations are currently closed.)
Seven secondary station entrances are scheduled to stay open 24 hours daily, starting at 6 a.m. Saturday, June 10, after having been closed, mainly at night and on weekends. The station entrances and the stations they serve are:
Blue Line
"?Loomis (Racine station)
Adams/Jackson (Jackson station)
Monroe/Adams (Monroe station)
Washington/Madison (Washington station)
203 N. LaSalle (*Clark/Lake station)
(*also serves Green and Brown Lines on Loop 'L')
Red Line
Monroe/Adams (Monroe station)
Washington/Madison (Washington station)
CTA President Frank Kruesi said, "We?ve seen a steady growth in ridership for a couple of years now, and these improvements will make our service more convenient and consistent. Customers don't have to figure out if a station or entrance is open or not. All they have to remember is if the trains are running, then the stations and entrances on that line are open."
Over the past two years, the CTA has made a number of service improvements that are responsive to the needs of our customers and reflect the increase in ridership. Opening these stations and entrances is just one of the components of a $539,000 service improvement package that was passed by the Chicago Transit Board last month.
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