Austin (CTA Green Line)
Encyclopedia
Austin is a station
on the Chicago Transit Authority
's 'L' system
. It is situated between the Ridgeland
and Central
stations on the Green Line
, which runs from Harlem Avenue
in Forest Park
to Englewood
and Woodlawn
. The station is located at the intersection of Austin Boulevard and Corcoran Place in the Austin neighborhood
on Chicago
's West Side and borders on the village of Oak Park
.
Austin opened on April 15, 1899, as part of a surface level extension of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad
, along with Central. It was rebuilt in the early 1960s as part of a project which moved the western end of the Lake Street line off of its street level alignment and onto an abandoned strip of the parallel Chicago and Northwestern Railway's embankment. The station at Austin consists of a single island platform
; a stairway and escalator connect the platform to a station building. Trains serve Austin between 3:50am and 1:00am on weekdays, 5:50am and 1:00am on Saturdays, and 6:20am and 1:00am on Sundays. In addition to trains, Austin also serves CTA and Pace
buses.
west from terminal at 52nd Avenue
through Austin and Oak Park. It temporarily served as the terminal for the Lake Street Elevated until the line was extended further west later that year.
It was rebuilt in 1962, as part of a project which moved the western two and a half miles of the Lake Street line off of its street level alignment and onto an abandoned strip of the parallel Chicago and Northwestern Railway's embankment. As part of the reconstruction, an auxiliary entrance was constructed at Mason Avenue, a block east of the main entrance. On February 18, 1973, the Mason entrance was reduced to functioning only as an auxiliary exit due to budget cuts. It was later closed entirely in 1994.
on a grade separated embankment. The platform is located on the south side of the right of way of Metra
's Union Pacific/West Line
to the east of Austin Boulevard. It serves the Green Line's two tracks; the northern track serves trains to Harlem, while the southern track serves trains to Ashland/63 and Cottage Grove. Fare controls and a customer assistant booth are housed within a station building situated alongside the railroad embankment at street level. Access to the platform is provided by a stairwell and an escalator. The station's lack of an elevator or a ramp means that it is not handicapped accessible
.
in Forest Park
to downtown Chicago and south to the Englewood
and Woodlawn
neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side
. It is the fourth inbound station from Harlem
on the Green Line and is situated between the Ridgeland and Central stations. Green Line trains serve Austin between 3:50am and 1:00am on weekdays, 5:50am and 1:00am on Saturdays, and 6:20am and 1:00am on Sundays. The station is approximately 4 minutes from Harlem, 17 minutes from Clark/Lake
in the Loop
, 51 minutes from Ashland/63
, and 45 minutes from Cottage Grove
. 639,705 passengers boarded at Austin in 2009.
In addition to 'L' trains, the station provides service to several bus routes. Two CTA bus routes stop at Austin, the #N20 Madison and #91 Austin. These routes provide service to Madison Street
, Illinois Center
, Austin Avenue, the Austin Blue Line station
, Lawrence Avenue, and the Jefferson Park Transit Center
. Service to Taft High School
is also provided on school days. Additionally, Pace
operates two bus routes to the station: the #309 Lake Street and #313 St. Charles Road. These routes provide service to West Suburban Hospital, Westlake Community Hospital, the Elmhurst Metra station
, the Melrose Park Metra station
, Yorktown Center
, East Gate Shopping Center, and the municipalities of Oak Park, River Forest
, Maywood
, Melrose Park
, Northlake
, Stone Park
, Elmhurst
, Bellwood
, Berkeley
, Villa Park
, and Lombard
.
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's 'L' system
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
. It is situated between the Ridgeland
Ridgeland (CTA)
Ridgeland is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Green Line. To the north of the station is the triple tracked Union Pacific/West Line.-Bus connections:CTA* #N20 Madison * #86 Narragansett/Ridgeland...
and Central
Central (CTA Green Line)
Central is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system. It is situated between the Laramie and Austin stations on the Green Line, which runs from Harlem Avenue in Forest Park to Englewood and Woodlawn...
stations on the Green Line
Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Green Line is part of the CTA rapid transit system known as the Chicago 'L'. It is the only completely elevated route in the 'L' system. It utilizes the system's oldest segments , extending with 29 stops between Forest Park and Oak Park , through Chicago's Loop, to the South Side and Englewood...
, which runs from Harlem Avenue
Illinois Route 43
Illinois Route 43 is a major north–south state road in the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 30 in Frankfort north to the large intersection of Illinois Route 120 and U.S...
in Forest Park
Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census...
to Englewood
Englewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
and Woodlawn
Woodlawn, Chicago
Woodlawn, located in the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of 77 well defined Chicago community areas. It is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east, 60th Street to the north, Martin Luther King Drive to the west, and, mostly, 67th Street to the south...
. The station is located at the intersection of Austin Boulevard and Corcoran Place in the Austin neighborhood
Austin, Chicago
Austin, located on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, is the largest of the city's 77 officially defined community areas, followed by Lake View. Its eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District/West Line...
on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's West Side and borders on the village of Oak Park
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
.
Austin opened on April 15, 1899, as part of a surface level extension of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad
Lake Street Elevated Railroad
The Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated rapid transit line to be constructed in Chicago, Illinois. The first section of the line opened on November 6, 1893, and its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the Chicago 'L' system.-Beginnings:The Lake...
, along with Central. It was rebuilt in the early 1960s as part of a project which moved the western end of the Lake Street line off of its street level alignment and onto an abandoned strip of the parallel Chicago and Northwestern Railway's embankment. The station at Austin consists of a single island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
; a stairway and escalator connect the platform to a station building. Trains serve Austin between 3:50am and 1:00am on weekdays, 5:50am and 1:00am on Saturdays, and 6:20am and 1:00am on Sundays. In addition to trains, Austin also serves CTA and Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
buses.
History
The first Austin station opened in 1899, as part of a grade-level extension of the Lake Street Elevated RailroadLake Street Elevated Railroad
The Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated rapid transit line to be constructed in Chicago, Illinois. The first section of the line opened on November 6, 1893, and its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the Chicago 'L' system.-Beginnings:The Lake...
west from terminal at 52nd Avenue
Laramie (CTA)
Laramie is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Green Line. It opened on April 29, 1894 as a terminus of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad. It is the first station above Lake Street as the line follows an elevated embankment to Harlem/Lake.- Bus connections :CTA* ...
through Austin and Oak Park. It temporarily served as the terminal for the Lake Street Elevated until the line was extended further west later that year.
It was rebuilt in 1962, as part of a project which moved the western two and a half miles of the Lake Street line off of its street level alignment and onto an abandoned strip of the parallel Chicago and Northwestern Railway's embankment. As part of the reconstruction, an auxiliary entrance was constructed at Mason Avenue, a block east of the main entrance. On February 18, 1973, the Mason entrance was reduced to functioning only as an auxiliary exit due to budget cuts. It was later closed entirely in 1994.
Facilities
The station consists of a single island platformIsland platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
on a grade separated embankment. The platform is located on the south side of the right of way of Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's Union Pacific/West Line
Union Pacific/West Line
The Union Pacific/West is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs...
to the east of Austin Boulevard. It serves the Green Line's two tracks; the northern track serves trains to Harlem, while the southern track serves trains to Ashland/63 and Cottage Grove. Fare controls and a customer assistant booth are housed within a station building situated alongside the railroad embankment at street level. Access to the platform is provided by a stairwell and an escalator. The station's lack of an elevator or a ramp means that it is not handicapped accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
.
Services
Austin is part of the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line, which runs east from Harlem AvenueIllinois Route 43
Illinois Route 43 is a major north–south state road in the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 30 in Frankfort north to the large intersection of Illinois Route 120 and U.S...
in Forest Park
Forest Park, Illinois
Forest Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census...
to downtown Chicago and south to the Englewood
Englewood, Chicago
Englewood, once known as "Junction Grove" , is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago. At its height, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles , but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically...
and Woodlawn
Woodlawn, Chicago
Woodlawn, located in the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of 77 well defined Chicago community areas. It is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east, 60th Street to the north, Martin Luther King Drive to the west, and, mostly, 67th Street to the south...
neighborhoods on Chicago's South Side
South Side (Chicago)
The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29,...
. It is the fourth inbound station from Harlem
Harlem/Lake (CTA)
Harlem is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Green Line. It opened on October 28, 1962. It is the northwesternmost terminus of the Green Line. The station is adjacent to the Oak Park Metra commuter railroad station...
on the Green Line and is situated between the Ridgeland and Central stations. Green Line trains serve Austin between 3:50am and 1:00am on weekdays, 5:50am and 1:00am on Saturdays, and 6:20am and 1:00am on Sundays. The station is approximately 4 minutes from Harlem, 17 minutes from Clark/Lake
Clark/Lake (CTA)
Clark/Lake is an 'L' station serving the CTA's Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Lines. It is located at 100/124 West Lake Street in Chicago's Loop district, and is accessed from the James R. Thompson Center and 203 North LaSalle building. It is one of the most complex stations on the...
in the Loop
The Loop (CTA)
The Loop is the two mile circuit of elevated railroad that forms the hub of the 'L' rapid transit system in Chicago, Illinois. The Loop is so named because the railroad loops around a rectangle formed by Lake Street , Wabash Avenue , Van Buren Street , and Wells Street...
, 51 minutes from Ashland/63
Ashland/63 (CTA)
Ashland/63rd is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois and serving the Green Line's Ashland branch. It is situated at 6315 S Ashland Avenue. It opened on May 6, 1969. This station is the southern terminal of the Ashland...
, and 45 minutes from Cottage Grove
East 63rd-Cottage Grove (CTA)
Cottage Grove is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in Chicago, Illinois and serving the Green Line's East 63rd branch. It is situated at 800 E 63rd Street. It opened on April 23, 1893...
. 639,705 passengers boarded at Austin in 2009.
In addition to 'L' trains, the station provides service to several bus routes. Two CTA bus routes stop at Austin, the #N20 Madison and #91 Austin. These routes provide service to Madison Street
Madison Street (Chicago)
Madison Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to human intervention, the Chicago River emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue....
, Illinois Center
Illinois Center
Illinois Center is a mixed-use urban development in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, lying east of Michigan Avenue. It is notable in that the streets running through it have three levels. Elsewhere in Chicago, some streets have two levels, with the lower level for through traffic and service...
, Austin Avenue, the Austin Blue Line station
Austin (CTA Blue Line)
Austin is a station on the 'L' system, serving the Blue Line's Forest Park branch. It is located below South Austin Boulevard in the Eisenhower Expressway on the Oak Park and Chicago city limit boundary Austin is a station on the 'L' system, serving the Blue Line's Forest Park branch. It is...
, Lawrence Avenue, and the Jefferson Park Transit Center
Jefferson Park (Metra-CTA)
The Jefferson Park Transit Center is an intermodal passenger transport center, in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It functions as a station for rail as well as rapid transit and also as a bus terminal. Jefferson Park Transit Center's railroad station is on Metra's Union...
. Service to Taft High School
William Howard Taft High School (Chicago)
William Howard Taft High School is a high school located at 6530 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, in the Norwood Park neighborhood. It is run by the Chicago Public Schools . It is perhaps most famous as being the high school attended by Jim Jacobs, the writer of Grease. Jacobs used Taft...
is also provided on school days. Additionally, Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
operates two bus routes to the station: the #309 Lake Street and #313 St. Charles Road. These routes provide service to West Suburban Hospital, Westlake Community Hospital, the Elmhurst Metra station
Elmhurst (Metra)
Elmhurst is a Metra commuter railroad station in downtown Elmhurst, a western suburb of Chicago. It is served by the Union Pacific/West Line, and lies from the eastern terminus. Trains go east to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far west as Elburn, Illinois...
, the Melrose Park Metra station
Melrose Park (Metra)
Melrose Park is a Metra commuter railroad station in Melrose Park, a western suburb of Chicago. It is served by the Union Pacific/West Line. Trains go east to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and as far west as Elburn, Illinois. Travel time to Ogilvie is 23 to 29 minutes, depending on...
, Yorktown Center
Yorktown Center
Yorktown Center is an enclosed regional shopping mall located in the village of Lombard, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1968, the mall currently features more than 100 stores on two levels. Anchor stores include Carson Pirie Scott, JCPenney, and a flagship Von Maur...
, East Gate Shopping Center, and the municipalities of Oak Park, River Forest
River Forest, Illinois
River Forest is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Two universities make their home in River Forest, Dominican University and Concordia University Chicago. The village is closely tied to the larger neighboring community of Oak Park, Illinois. There are significant...
, Maywood
Maywood, Illinois
Maywood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It was founded on April 6, 1869 and organized October 22, 1881. The population was 26,987 at the 2000 census.-Overview:...
, Melrose Park
Melrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a "near-in" suburb of Chicago. The population was 23,171 at the 2000 census. Melrose Park has long been home to a large Italian-American population, though now it is majority Mexican-American. It was the home of Kiddieland...
, Northlake
Northlake, Illinois
Northlake is a city in suburban Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,878 at the 2000 census. The city's moniker is "The City of Friendly People".-Geography:...
, Stone Park
Stone Park, Illinois
Stone Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,127 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stone Park is located at ....
, Elmhurst
Elmhurst, Illinois
Elmhurst is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois. The population is 46,013 as of the 2008 US Census population estimate.-History:...
, Bellwood
Bellwood, Illinois
Bellwood is a village in Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,535 at the 2000 census.There is a railroad station with commuter service to Chicago.-Geography:Bellwood is located at ....
, Berkeley
Berkeley, Illinois
Berkeley is a village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Incorporated in 1924, the population at the 2000 census was 5,245.The town has a commuter railroad station on Metra's Union Pacific/West Line with service to downtown Chicago.-Geography:...
, Villa Park
Villa Park, Illinois
Villa Park is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 22,075 at the 2000 census. A special census in 2003 set the population at 22,517...
, and Lombard
Lombard, Illinois
Lombard, "The Lilac Village", is a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County, Illinois. The population was 42,322 at the 2000 census. The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2004 to be 42,975.-History:...
.