Irving Park is an
'L' station on the
CTA's
Blue Line. The station is located in the median of the
Kennedy Expressway
The John F. Kennedy Expressway is a nearly freeway in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Portions of the freeway carry I-190, I-90 and I-94. The freeway runs in a southeast–northwest direction between the central city neighborhood of the W ...
in the
Irving Park neighborhood, though it draws its name from its cross street. Irving Park is one of two stations on the Blue Line that stops in an expressway median where the entrance is below the platform;
Rosemont is the other, specifically beneath the westbound lane of the Kennedy Expressway.
Rosemont Blue Line (Chicago "L".org)
/ref> The station opened in 1970 as a part of the Kennedy extension of the Milwaukee Elevated from Logan Square Logan Square may refer to:
* Logan Square, Chicago, a neighborhood on the north side of the city
* Logan Circle (Philadelphia) or Logan Square, a park in Philadelphia
**Logan Square, Philadelphia
Logan Square is a neighborhood in Philadelphia. Bou ...
to Jefferson Park.
History
The Irving Park station opened under the Kennedy extension of the Blue Line to Jefferson Park in 1970. Built as other nearby stations, according to the plans of architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...
, Irving Park is different; it does not pass under the crossing of the Kennedy Expressway and streets but it spans up to Irving Park Road and Pulaski Road. This means that the main entrance is located under the tracks and not above as in other stations located in the median of the Kennedy Expressway. The layout of the station is also distinguished by the length of its banks, it can accommodate 10-car trains as opposed to the 8 of the other stations in the plan. This is explained by the presence of an auxiliary entrance on Pulaski Road.
On February 10, 1998, the Chicago Transit Authority temporarily closed the entrance on Pulaski Road. It reopened in October 1998 with the agent replaced with an ATM.
Bus and rail connections
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...
* Union Pacific/Northwest Line
The Union Pacific Northwest Line (UP-NW) is a commuter rail line provided by Metra and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad in Chicago, Illinois and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not refer to any of its lines by colors, the timetable ...
CTA
* 53 Pulaski (Owl Service)
* 54A North Cicero/Skokie Blvd (Weekday Rush Hours only)
* 80 Irving Park
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
Irving Park (O'Hare Line) Station PagePulaski Road entrance from Google Maps Street ViewIrving Park Road entrance from Google Maps Street View
CTA Blue Line stations
Railway stations in the United States opened in 1970
CTA stations in highway medians
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