UIC–Halsted Station - Uic Portal

UICâ€"Halsted is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Blue Line. The station serves the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University Village neighborhood, and the Greektown neighborhood all located in the Near West Side.

History

UICâ€"Halsted opened in 1958 as one of the new stations on the Congress Line in the median of the Congress Expressway which replaced the Garfield Park branch that used to run along an alley in the right of way that is now on the present Eisenhower Expressway. Like the other stations on the Congress Line (and the future Dan Ryan Line and O'Hare Line on the Kennedy Expressway) the station has a single island platform. When the station originally opened, its name was just "Halsted." In 1965, when the University of Illinois' Chicago campus was opened, the station name was changed to "U of I-Halsted" and an additional exit to Peoria Street was added to access the campus. Most older signage on the station and some older Chicagoans still refer the station and the campus as U of I-Halsted and U of I, respectively. When the University was renamed as UIC in 1982, the station name was changed to the current "UICâ€"Halsted." This change is reflected on CTA print media and signage. This is the terminal for every 2 Blue Line trains on weekends and some trains on weekdays. At UIC-Halsted, Blue Line riders can transfer to trains to Forest Park.

Location

The Eisenhower Expressway median at the UICâ€"Halsted stop is twice as wide as necessary to accommodate the two tracks and platform, which are offset to only occupy the south half of the available median space. The Peoria Street station house was constructed in 1964, centered not over the platform, but over the median to accommodate the anticipated future high-level subway line to run from there, under Clinton Street and the abandoned Jackson Boulevard streetcar tunnel under the river, to Grant Park. The station house's position and the two extra portals east of Halsted Street were all that came of that plan. Non-electrified tracks were later added in the empty space in the northern portion of the median in order to stage materials and work cars for tunnel repair and maintenance. West of this station also exists stub tracks, used for turnarounds for Forest Park-bound trains for which UIC-Halsted is their turnaround.

Amenities

The station has three entrances: Halsted Street, Morgan Street, and Peoria Street. The station house at Morgan Street has a large enclosed waiting room, with electronic signage that alerts passengers when trains are approaching the platform below. The Halsted Street station house has a Chase ATM. The Peoria Street entrance/exit was renovated from June 2014 to August 2015 and reopened on August 31st, 2015.

Bus connections

CTA

• 7 Harrison
• 8 Halsted
• 60 Blue Island/26th (Owl Service)

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

• UICâ€"Halsted Station Page
• Halsted Station @ America on the Move (Smithsonian Institution)
• Morgan Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Peoria Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Halsted Street entrance from Google Maps Street View