.gif)
Forest Park (CTA)
Encyclopedia
Forest Park is a station
on the Chicago Transit Authority
's 'L' system
, located in the city of Forest Park
and serving the Blue Line
. Before the Congress Line was built it served as terminal for the Garfield Line, and is possibly the only station on that line to survive today. It is the western terminus of the Forest Park branch. The station was known as Desplaines until 1994. It is also referred to as the Forest Park Transit Center by Pace
because it is a major terminal for buses. The station contains a 1051-space Park and Ride
lot which uses the "Pay and Display" system, in which fees are paid at the lot entrance. This system is unique among CTA Park and Ride lots; at all other lots, fees are paid in numbered boxes in the station house.
Forest Park opened in 1902, as a local interurban
station on the Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway. On March 11, 1905, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
extended its Garfield Park rapid transit service west over the tracks of the Aurora Elgin and Chicago. At this time Forest Park became the western terminal for the 'L' while continuing to serve as an interurban station. In 1958, the Congress Branch opened in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, the blue line was rerouted and connected to the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway Station LaSalle making Forest Park, the southern terminus of the blue line. Forest Park, however, is one of the few stations in the Congress Branch line that is not in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, and is 350 metre north of it. In 1966, the park-and-ride schedule of 1051 seats was opened and a new subway station was built and completed in December 1982 along with the Transit Center that provides connection to many bus lines.
The station is open 24 hours / 7 days a week and 1,249,061 passengers used it in 2008.
Pace
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...
, located in the city of 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...
and serving the Blue Line
Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Blue Line consists of a long trunk line in the Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit system which extends through Chicago's Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway, and across the West Side to its...
. Before the Congress Line was built it served as terminal for the Garfield Line, and is possibly the only station on that line to survive today. It is the western terminus of the Forest Park branch. The station was known as Desplaines until 1994. It is also referred to as the Forest Park Transit Center by 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...
because it is a major terminal for buses. The station contains a 1051-space Park and Ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
lot which uses the "Pay and Display" system, in which fees are paid at the lot entrance. This system is unique among CTA Park and Ride lots; at all other lots, fees are paid in numbered boxes in the station house.
History
NOTE: Information retrieved from French WikipediaForest Park opened in 1902, as a local interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
station on the Aurora Elgin and Chicago Railway. On March 11, 1905, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad was the third elevated rapid transit line to be built in Chicago, Illinois and was the first of Chicago’s elevated lines to be electrically powered...
extended its Garfield Park rapid transit service west over the tracks of the Aurora Elgin and Chicago. At this time Forest Park became the western terminal for the 'L' while continuing to serve as an interurban station. In 1958, the Congress Branch opened in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, the blue line was rerouted and connected to the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway Station LaSalle making Forest Park, the southern terminus of the blue line. Forest Park, however, is one of the few stations in the Congress Branch line that is not in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, and is 350 metre north of it. In 1966, the park-and-ride schedule of 1051 seats was opened and a new subway station was built and completed in December 1982 along with the Transit Center that provides connection to many bus lines.
The station is open 24 hours / 7 days a week and 1,249,061 passengers used it in 2008.
Bus connections
CTA#17 Westchester
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...
#301 Roosevelt Road #303 Forest Park-Rosemont #305 Cicero-River Forest #308 Medical Center #310 Madison Street-Hillside #317 Westchester #318 West North Avenue #320 Madison Street #747 DuPage Connection #757 Northwest Connection