- Cermak–Chinatown (CTA station)
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Cermak–Chinatown 
Station statistics Address 138 West Cermak Road
Chicago, Illinois 60616Lines Connections CTA bus Structure Elevated Platforms 1 Island platform Tracks 2 Bicycle facilities Yes Other information Opened September 28, 1969 Rebuilt 2009-2011 Accessible 
Owned by Chicago Transit Authority Formerly Cermak (Station Sign) Traffic Passengers (2010) 1,272,910[1] 
3.9%Services Preceding station Chicago 'L' Following station Roosevelttoward HowardRed Line Sox–35thtoward 95th/Dan RyanCoordinates: 41°51′12″N 87°37′51″W / 41.853206°N 87.630968°W
Cermak–Chinatown is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Red Line. The station is adjacent to Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood and contains many elements of Chinese culture in its architecture.
Contents
Truck collision
On April 25, 2008, a semi truck crashed into the station, killing two and injuring 21, at least seven critically.[2] Part of the station collapsed after the impact.[3] Bystanders said that the driver of the truck was coming off the northbound Dan Ryan Expressway exit.[2] The truck driver was taken into custody. The driver declined to take a urine test, which could identify whether he was taking drugs to stay awake.The driver died later in the year due to a heart attack. [4]
Renovation
The original station (designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill) had undergone minimal updates since its original opening in 1969. After the truck collision, however, CTA officials moved to fully rebuild the station house, with construction beginning in fall of 2009. On June 4, 2010, a new auxiliary entrance/exit opened at Archer Avenue, to provide convenient access to the #62 Archer buses as well as to Chinatown Square and the Richland Center.[5] On April 15, 2011, the main entrance on the north side of Cermak Road reopened and was upgraded with an elevator making it ADA accessible. The auxiliary entrance on the south side of Cermak Road reopened on April 30, 2011.[6][7]
Current bus connections
CTA
- #21 Cermak
- #24 Wentworth
- #62 Archer
Previous CTA Bus Connections
Before the creation of the Orange Line in 1993, Chicago's southwest side was served by a number of express and rush-period-only bus routes, all but one of which served the Cermak–Chinatown station. When the Orange Line opened, most of these bus routes were discontinued and replaced with stub routes connecting with the Orange Line at Midway Airport. The four routes that were not discontinued with the Orange Line's creation met their demise in the 1997-1998 Booz-Allen Hamilton service cuts.
In 1993 the routes that connected with the Cermak–Chinatown Station were:
- #21 Cermak
- #24 Wentworth
- #42 Halsted/Archer
- #44 Wallace-Racine
- #45 Ashland/Archer
- #62 Archer Local
- #62 Archer Express
- #99 Stevenson Express
- #99M Midway Park 'n' Ride Express
- #162 Pulaski Express
- #164 Narragansett Express
References
- ^ "Rail Ridership by Branch and Entrance: 2010 Full Year Report" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. http://www.transitchicago.com/asset.aspx?AssetId=4647. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
- ^ a b "Two killed, at least 21 injured after truck crashes into CTA Red Line station in Chinatown". chicagotribune.com (Chicago Tribune). 2008-04-26. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-cta-truck-crash-webapr26,0,5294947.story. Retrieved 2008-04-26.
- ^ "At least 2 dead after semi rams train station". Associated Press. 2008-04-25. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080429225648/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/25/truck.crash.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- ^ "2 killed, 21 hurt as truck slams into Red Line stop". Chicago Sun-Times (Sun-Times News Group). 2008-04-26. http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/917235,CST-NWS-crash26.article. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
- ^ "New entrance for Chinatown 'L' station opens Friday". Chicago Breaking News Center. June 3, 2010. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/06/new-entrance-for-chinatown-l-station.html. Retrieved July 25, 2010.
- ^ "Cermak-Chinatown Station Main Entrance Reopens". Chicago Transit Authority. http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/alert_detail.aspx?AlertId=9516. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
- ^ "Cermak-Chinatown Station Renovation". Chicago Transit Authority. http://www.transitchicago.com/news_initiatives/cermakupdate.aspx. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
External links
Categories:- CTA Red Line stations
- Railway stations opened in 1969
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