The Illinois Medical District station on the Forest Park Branch of the CTA Blue Line will undergo a $23 million renovation that will improve accessibility and modernize the station so that it can better serve the medical district.
The project will be the largest makeover of the station since it opened more than 50 years ago. Among the improvements will be rebuilding the main stationhouse, increasing accessibility for customers and providing a number of amenities to the popular station that offers access to major renowned hospitals and health institutions.
What's in the project?
In addition to making improvements to all three entrances of the station, this project will completely rebuild the main stationhouse on Ogden Avenue and add an elevator to the structure, making it accessible to customers with disabilities by. The project will also improve access when it upgrades two station-to-platform ramps at the entrances at Damen Avenue and Paulina Street.
This project also includes improved station and platform lighting; the installation of new security cameras; new CTA Bus and Train Tracker displays; and enhancements to the station platform canopy. The two entrances at Damen and Paulina will also be refurbished with new flooring, wall and ceiling finishes, fare-payment equipment and customer assistant kiosks.
What's the timeline for this work?
Construction began in September 2016 and the project is expected to be completed in 2018.
The Illinois Medical District station remains open throughout construction with occasional temporary entrance closures. CTA will be working closely with local elected officials and community members to minimize impacts to riders as well as to provide regular project updates and information regarding service impacts.
About the station & its history
The Illinois Medical District is the third-busiest station on the Blue Line's Forest Park Branch, with more than 1 million station entries last year.
The station provides key connections to four major hospital systems – the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Rush University Medical Center and the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. The station also serves Malcolm X College and the United Center.
With the exception of the Damen entrance, which was renovated in 1998, the station has otherwise received only minor patchwork repairs since it first opened in 1958, when Dwight Eisenhower was President.