Morgan station

Morgan is an 'L' station on the CTA's Green and Pink Lines in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.[2] The original station on this site was closed and demolished in early 1949; after years of intense lobbying by local residents and members of the Fulton Market Merchant Association,[3] the Chicago Department of Transportation rebuilt the station from 2010–2012. The new station opened on May 18, 2012.[4][5]

Morgan   1000W 200N
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
Location	958 West Lake Street Chicago, Illinois 60607
Coordinates	41.8856°N 87.6522°W / 41.8856; -87.6522
Owned by	City of Chicago
Line(s)	Lake Branch
Platforms	2 Side platforms
Tracks	2 tracks
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	November 6, 1893
Closed	April 4, 1948 – May 18, 2012
Rebuilt	August 2010 – May 2012
Traffic
Passengers (2019)	1,105,090[1]  5.6%
Rank	58 out of 143
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Ashland toward Harlem/Lake Green Line Clinton toward Ashland/63rd or Cottage Grove Ashland toward 54th/Cermak Pink Line Clinton toward Loop (Clark/Lake)
Former services Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Racine Closed 1948 toward Harlem/Lake Lake Street Elevated Halsted Closed 1994 toward Loop (Randolph/Wells) or Market Terminal
Track layout Green and Pink west to Harlem/Lake and 54th/Cermak Morgan St. Sangamon St. Green and Pink east to 63rd Street and the Loop

History

The first station

The first Morgan station was one of the 29 stations along the Lake Street Elevated Railroad when the line opened in 1893. Service to Morgan operated continuously until April 4, 1948, when the newly created CTA closed the station, due to low ridership and an attempt to speed up and simplify rail service along the line.[6] Soon afterward, the station was demolished. The neighborhood continued to receive elevated service at the Halsted Street station, two blocks to the east.

Former services

Halsted continued to serve the neighborhood until January 9, 1994, when the CTA closed the Green Line for a renovation and rehabilitation project. This project included the closure of six stations, and among them was the Halsted station. With the closure of Halsted, no Green Line stations remained in the West Loop or Fulton Market areas, leaving a gap of 1.3 miles (2.1 km) between the Ashland and Clinton stations. The closure of Halsted was unpopular, and since that date, community residents, businesses, and local organizations have argued that this area needs a new "infill station" to restore rail service. Heightening the need for a new station, significant amounts of growth have occurred near the line in the last 15 years, including large residential buildings and many popular restaurants and nightclubs.

New station

View of the new station under construction, looking North on Morgan Street

Morgan was a logical location for a new station, as it is located halfway between Ashland and Clinton, and the intersection of Morgan/Lake is close to much of the new development in the area. It also sits near many art galleries that have opened recently, as well as Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Studios, a major tourist attraction. In the early 2000s, the CTA began to work with local groups and city officials to plan and identify funding sources for the new station. Initially, the neighborhood planned to cover the entire cost with funding from a local tax increment financing district. Later, however, the Chicago Department of Transportation decided to seek federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program funding to cover $8 million of the cost, allowing some of the TIF money to be used for other purposes. The final cost of building the station was $38 million.[5]

Construction began in Summer 2010.[7] TranSystems led the design team,, in conjunction with Ross Barney Architects.[8] Like most currently active Green Line and Pink Line stations, Morgan is ADA-accessible, with an elevator on either side of the tracks. The station will also have bike storage.

The new Morgan station officially opened on May 18, 2012, and grand opening ceremonies were held on May 24.[9][10]

Notes and references

Notes

References

1. "Monthly Ridership Report – December 2019" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 13, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
2. Stations: Morgan, Chicago-L.org.
3. Butler, Patrick (November 1, 2001). "RFMA Succeeds in Getting Morgan Street Station", The Gazette. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
4. "Customer Alert: New Morgan Station Opens". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
5. Hilkevitch, Jon (May 25, 2012). "CTA Dedicates New 'L' Station at Morgan and Lake — The First New Chicago Stop to Open in 15 Years", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2012
6. "10 Stations Closed as CTA Speeds Up Lake St. Elevated". Chicago Daily Tribune. April 5, 1948. p. 4.
7. Morgan CTA Green/Pink Line Station Archived 2012-06-23 at the Wayback Machine, City of Chicago web site.
8. CTA Morgan Street Station on the Ross Barney Architects website
9. Hilkevitch, Jon (May 24, 2012). "Grand Opening for New Morgan CTA Station", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
10. Kamin, Blair (May 29, 2012). "Gleaming New CTA Station Raises Question: What Price Architecture?", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 12, 2012.