The CTA has announced an official closing date for the State and Lake station as its reconstruction kicks into full gear. In the works since 2017, the current plans were announced in 2021 and kicked off earlier this year. Efforts for the major renovation are being led by the agency itself, which is working with architecture firm SOM on the design.
Site context map of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
Rendering of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
Built in 1895, the station is the fifth busiest in the system and serves most of the CTA’s train lines except the Blue and Yellow lines. Due to its age and limited size, the city initially explored replacing the station in 2017 for around $75 million. Because of rising construction costs, the project’s estimated cost increased to $180 million in 2021 and eventually to $444 million this year.
Diagram of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
Aerial View of Rebuilt State/Lake CTA L Station. Rendering by SOM
Work is already underway, with both State and Lake Streets reduced to a single lane in each direction for the foreseeable future. Construction will ramp up when the station closes on January 5 for demolition. Once closed, it will remain out of service until 2029, when the new station opens. Trains will bypass the station during this time, according to the Sun-Times.
Rendering of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
Rendering of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
The new gateway to the city will frame views down State Street and be covered by a massive glass canopy. To support this, the city will widen all the sidewalks around the station to improve connections to the Red Line. The station will also include four new elevators—one at each street corner—along with two new escalators and additional stairs.
View of Rebuilt State/Lake CTA L Station. Rendering by SOM
Rendering of CTA State/Lake station by SOM
Above the street, the platform itself will be widened to double its current size. Each side will be anchored by a glass recreation of the original station, serving as the turnstile entrance. Additionally, there will be new flyover connections between the two sides, as well as improved lighting, signage, and more. Local contractor F.H. Paschen is completing the work.
The station will join the fully rebuilt Washington/Wabash station nearby, which opened in 2017, with the Clark and Lake station down the street also set to be renovated as the Thompson Center continues to be rebuilt.
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Astronomical cost ; is everything planned necessary ? Why do public works cost so much more than private ?
Because everyone knows that it will be paid and that there are requirements, and they can overcharge. People take advantage of government contracts, and bureaucracy slows down, holding people accountable. There are also numerous no-bid and self-serving contracts. Capitalism in a nutshell.
Not “Capitalism in a nutshell,” more like a micro example of Socialism in a nutshell. Every issue you raised is because free market capitalism is not in play. If this were true capitalism the entire CTA would be privatized and you’d see the entire system run more efficiently and taxpayers would save millions, probably billions over time.
Efficiencies would be made if it were a private system, and those savings wouldn’t be on the dime of the public, but don’t pretend the everyday cost wouldn’t stay consistent.
Remember those parking meters that went private? One of Indiana’s biggest flaws in its transportation system is the private toll roads built on public roads. I say “biggest” because they have next to nothing in terms of public transportation. And half of what they do have is thanks to continued support from Illinois. You think for a second they wouldn’t jack up the costs of a daily pass to over $10? Our daily rates should be more like $5, but privatization doesn’t mean better. Brightline in Florida is on the verge of financial collapse, and the forecast does look bright.
If we could improve stations under private contracts, that would help, but every step would inevitably face razor-sharp margins of becoming corrupt. It’s Chicago after all, and the current Federal government thrives under corruption.
CTA has to get 50% of its funding from fares (dropping to 25% later on) what do you think would happen if it was a private company? Fares would skyrocket, less used lines that are not profitable would cease to exist. You would get nickle and diming, that’s true Capitalism lmao. Do you also want the fire department and police privatized? “Oh no, my house is burning but I did not pay my subscription to the fire department this year guess I am done for.” Truly brain dead.
Oh god, how would capitalism help? All that would happen is that we would all be charged rates by how much we make and it would cost even more. More than tax dollars, you capitalist freaks always want to give everything to the rich so they can suck more money from us. True capitalism is rarely ever in practice. Transportation shouldn’t make money either, it’s a service. We would pay more in our income than taxes, nice try. Maybe if we didn’t have 100s of years to prove why capitalism doesn’t work
We do not live in a socialist society, what are you talking about. You can’t just call everything you don’t like socialist.
nothing about your statement is “capitalism in a nutshell” lol
The idea that what you describe represents “capitalism in a nutshell” is amazing. I mean LOLOL, come on now.
Is that a question or a commentary? How do you know private is cheaper? Do you know that complexity of the scope of this project trying to connect from underground subway to street level to elevated level?
When was the last time you see private subway stations construction?
usually public works are a bit more complex than private. can really drive the cost. public works costs would probably be more accurately compared to costs for utility company construction instead of building developers or other private construction. Usually private industry only takes on what they know, infrastructure is too complicated for them.
Public projects often try to accomplish a lot more than private projects. For better or worse, public projects often try to be all things to all people. This makes projects more expensive than a narrowly designed private project, but it often has more of a public benefit.
My God, the price escalation from 75 million in 2017 to 444 million today is unbelievable.
75MM was likely never a sincere cost estimate… That said, half a bill is nuts. I DO like the idea of a splurge to make something majestic like what’s rendered; good halo product for the CTA in the heart of the system. Maintenance on the glazing, though, will almost surely prove unsustainable.
Everyone complaining about the cost of a complicated project connecting 3 levels of underground subway to above street elevated train. Do you know how works involved and mean while trying to keep the existing systems running smoothly with the least distruptions as possible. Is anyone complaining about the cost of a mile of highway construction?
If wider sidewalks counts as “improved access” to the red line subway, I deserved much higher grades in school!
ALso what’s with the dinky gabled roof structure at the threshold of the turnstiles?? Is that something existing at Stake/Lake that they’re keeping for posterity? If not, it’s highly (and somewhat inexplicably) incongruent to the new design.
That looks like the original structure of the platform roof, so I would say that is there for posterity. It does show how much wider the platforms are. I’ve always been amazed that no one fell on to the tracks during rush hour, when you could barely move with so many people on such a narrow platform.
uh – who’s paying for this? is there a plan to WASH all that glass regularly or will it become visually disgusting like the de caux and city bus stops? AND is the “glass” bulletproof? seriously.
The people paying for this are the same ones who pay for other public transportation infrastructure such as freeways and airports. Individuals are not spending much on this, I’d guess that I will personally pay about $30, spread over 30 years of installment payments. If you are worried about bullets flying, stay out of Alabama, Mississippi, and Wyoming, which have high rates of gunshot fatalities.
Are you serious? Murder rate per 100K: Chicago City Core: 23/100K, Cook County 15.8/100K, Mississippi 19/100K, Alabama 14.8/100K, Wyoming 3/100K.
By the way, NYC is just 3.9/100K
Murders in Chicago, extrapolated to the end of the year, should be approximately 425 for 2025. That would be a ~26% reduction compared to 2024. A Rochester Institute of Technology working paper I found stated that Chicago’s murder rate was 21.7/100K in 2024 (not sure where your numbers are from, so I’ll stick with RIT’s data). If so, assuming roughly the same population as in 2024, that would mean, that the murder rate will be 16.1/100K. That’s a huge stride in one year. There’s still a lot of work to do, but optimism is called for.
Not sure what “Chicago City Core” is, but you can always draw a line around an area to enclose areas with high murder rates to skew results. Rockaway has a murder rate of 795/100K. The area near the train station in around the same rate as the one you cite for NYC as a whole.
The murder rate in Chicago as a whole is too high (several times higher that NYC), but your comment about ‘bullet proof glass’ is just trolling. If you were a real New Yorker, you would know that there are safe and dangerous areas there, as in any big city. If you actually are a real New Yorker, then I can only assume you are just being obnoxious. Chicago is dealing with enough problems without comments from the peanut gallery. Please restrict your comments to areas east of the Hudson river, or maybe east of Montauk.
BTW – I have not idea if what area of Rockaway was used to get that statistic, could have been an area that had 1000 residents and one murder. Trolling ain’t statistics.
This station smells full of pigeon 💩 infestation. it’s nauseously awful 🤮🤢
It’s too bad we can’t get a direct connection to the red line with how much this thing is costing. I am sure there is a bunch of infrastructure work we can’t see the driving the cost. The current station is so dingy, cramped, old, and busted. This will be an enormous upgrade, it’s just too bad they couldn’t find a way to run an escalator or 2 down the median of state and into the State Street Red line. there has to be a way!
You have problem with reading comprehension or you just commenting without even attempting to read at all? The drawings and text clearly stated that there will be 1 elevator for each corner that directly connect down to the Redline subway, as well 2 escalators from street level up to the elevated platforms. In your wise opinion ,just how and where do you think they should put escalators in the middle of State Street?
This should have been bid out on a “fastest, most economically efficient solution that is at most modestly spectacular” basis. I bet someone could have come up with a $100m one year project that still had a cool glass roof.
Going to all the trouble to curve it, and make it round and all of that: huge cost drivers.
Wow what a cool design!
looks Great. 4 ADA elevators seems like another big CTA waste of Money. Quite sure 2 (one at each platform would be sufficient).