CTA opens new station to serve Cermak-McCormick Place

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel yesterday officially opened a new Cermak-McCormick Place Green Line station, the first time a CTA station has served that area since 1977.

Located near the intersection of Cermak Road and State Street, the station will serve the growing area near historic Motor Row and provide a "crucial" additional transportation option for Chicago's near South Side, CTA officials said in a press release.

"This new station is an essential investment in the continued growth of the near South Side," Emanuel said. "It will encourage more investment and bring more jobs and more opportunities for people who live and work in this growing neighborhood."

The new facility is part of $4 billion in transit investments that Emanuel has announced since 2011. It fills a major gap in CTA service in the 2.5-mile stretch between the Roosevelt and 35th Street stations since the previous Cermak station at that location was torn down in 1977, agency officials said.

The station features a fully enclosed boarding platform to protect riders from the elements. The project also included new sidewalks, landscaping and street lights along 23rd Street, and bike racks at each station house.