11 shuttered CTA 'L' stations and what happened to them

151 N Wabash Ave
Opened: November 8, 1896
Closed: September 3, 2017
What line(s)?: Orange, Green, Purple, Pink, Brown

The most recent "L" station to close its doors, Randolph/Wabash operated in the Loop for more than a century. It closed in 2017, after being replaced by the Washington/Wabash station. Besides its notoriety as the last station to shutter to date, it could be recognized for its role in several films, including 1995’s When You Were Sleeping and 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting.

The former station was demolished in October 2017, about a month after it was permanently closed, and CTA traffic had to be rerouted through the Loop for approximately four days to accommodate the demolition.

2 N Wabash Ave
Opened: November 8, 1896
Closed: March 16, 2015
What line(s)?: Orange, Green, Purple, Pink, Brown

To make way for the new Washington/Wabash "L" station, two stations were shuttered—Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash. Both stations were replaced by Washington/Wabash, which opened on Aug. 31, 2017, but Madison/Wabash was closed more than two years before the new station opened. On March 16, after train service ended for the night, the entrances were boarded up and the station was closed. Trains passed by the station on their route the next morning.

The Madison/Wabash station sat abandoned until May, and was then completely demolished over a four month period. 

128 N State St
Opened: October 17, 1943
Closed: October 23, 2006
What line(s)?: Red

Oftentimes, when an "L" station is shuttered, it gets demolished. But that’s not the case for the Washington Red Line station, which was open for more than 60 years before ceasing operations in 2006. The station, located between the Lake and Monroe stations, is still visible along the Red Line route. Washington was set to be replaced by a superstation located underneath the Block 37 mall, but the cost of the project continued to rise, and the plan was eventually scrapped.

While the station has been closed for more than a decade, there’s a chance it might come back, eventually. There are no current plans to reopen it, but the CTA has said that the station is not considered to be permanently closed.

Opened: May 1, 1893
Closed: October 31, 1893
What line(s)?: Jackson Park Branch

One of the city’s oldest "L" stations also had its shortest tenure. The first ever "L" station to shutter was also among the first built. Jackson Park, which operated for six months, was constructed for the World’s Columbian Exposition. The fair was held in Jackson Park, brought in more than 27 million visitors and saw the invention of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Juicy Fruit gum and brownies.

The reason for the station’s closure was simple—the fair ended. Today, the area around the park is serviced by the Green Line and the Metra.

2130 S Laramie Ave, Cicero
Opened: August 16, 1910
Closed: February 9, 1992
What line(s)?: Douglas Branch

The Laramie station, in suburban Cicero, operated for more than eight decades before it was shuttered due to budget cuts in 1992. Today, the area is serviced by the 54th/Cermak station on the CTA’s Pink Line. But the station was used again in 2002 and 2003, while the 54th/Cermak station was being rebuilt.

While many stations that have been shuttered are demolished, the Laramie station is still standing because it was deemed historic by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

150 N Wells St
Opened: October 3, 1897
Closed: July 17, 1995
What line(s)?: Loop Elevated Line

There are numerous "L" stations throughout the Loop—Chicago’s downtown named for the trains that circle around it. While it’s convenient for passengers to have an assortment of options, it also brings about the downfall of some stations, like Randolph/Wells. The station, which was first opened in 1897, shuttered in 1995, and was replaced by the Washington/Wells station.

Although a majority of the station was demolished after its closure, short sections of its platform still remain.

6314-16 S Racine Ave
Opened: February 25, 1907
Closed: January 9, 1994
What line(s)?: Green

The Racine Green Line station, located in the Englewood neighborhood, closed 30 years ago—but it might be making a comeback. In a 2023 election, more than 93 percent of voters supported reopening the station. 

“The CTA is fully committed to pursuing a reopened Racine Green Line station and making it a vital component of the community’s revitalization,” said CTA spokesperson Maddie Kilgannon. “It would complement other South Side investments the CTA has made in recent years, including the reconstruction of the Red Line South and a new 95th Street terminal, and planned improvements to the Cottage Grove and 43rd Street Green Line stations.”

The station was closed in 1994 after a two-year renovation of the entire Green Line was announced. When the work was finished in 1996, the Racine station controversially never reopened. The station was never demolished because of its historic status, deemed by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

3400 W Lake St
Opened: March 1894
Closed: January 9, 1994
What line(s)?: Green

The Homan station was another casualty of the Green Line renovations in 1994. After the two-year project on the line was completed, several of its stations never reopened. Homan was deconstructed in 2000, and its former station house was used to complete the new Conservatory-Central Park Drive station on the Green Line, which opened in 2001.

430 S California Ave
Opened: June 22, 1958
Closed: September 2, 1973
What line(s)?: Blue

Many of the Blue Line’s stations run in the median of major expressways, like the California station, which was open for 15 years before shuttering in 1973. The station now sits abandoned in the middle of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway on the city’s West side. 

The station was closed as part of a systemwide service reduction. While a majority of the station still stands in the expressway median, parts of its metal supports and aluminum framing were used to repair the Illinois Medical District station.

Asbury Ave, Evanston
Opened: March 28, 1925
Closed: March 27, 1948
What line(s)?: Niles Center Branch 

The Yellow Line, which travels from the Howard station up through Skokie, wasn’t always the line that we know today. When it first opened in 1925, it was called the Niles Center Branch and ran from Howard to Skokie, making several stops in Evanston.

Asbury, a station on the Niles Center Branch, closed in 1948, along with the rest of the line. The route was replaced by the 97 Skokie bus and all stations on the former Niles Center Branch remained abandoned. One of those stations, Oakton-Skokie, was reopened in 2012, creating a possibility that Asbury might reopen again in the future as a stop on the Yellow Line.

12 E Cermak Rd
Opened: June 6, 1892
Closed: September 9, 1977
Reopened: February 8, 2015
What line(s)?: Green

Sure, passengers can easily access the Near South Side neighborhood from the Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line stop, but that wasn’t always the case. For 38 years, there wasn’t an "L" station in that spot after the Cermak station was demolished in 1977. The station was first constructed in 1892 and initially called 22nd Street. It was renamed Cermak in 1933, until it was demolished due to low ridership. 

In 2012, it was announced that a new station would be constructed and reopened on the site of the demolished one to help serve McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America. The new Cermak-McCormick Place station opened in 2015, and saw more than 332,000 passengers in 2022.