Racine station (CTA Blue Line)

Racine   1200W 430S
Location	430 South Racine Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60607
Coordinates	41°52′33″N 87°39′34″W / 41.87592°N 87.659458°W / 41.87592; -87.659458
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Blue Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Expressway median
History
Opened	June 22, 1958
Traffic
Passengers (2017)	655,557[1]  2.8% (CTA)
Rank	92 out of 143
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station Forest Park Branch UIC–Halsted toward O'Hare Blue Line Illinois Medical District toward Forest Park   Former services   UIC–Halsted toward O'Hare Blue Line Cermak Branch Polk toward 54th/Cermak
Route map Blue Line to O'Hare Racine Ave. Loomis St. Blue Line to Forest Park

Racine is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Blue Line. The station serves the Near West Side neighborhood and the western end of the UIC campus.

History

The station opened on June 22, 1958 and is almost identical to every other station built in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, including an island platform, a small station house on Racine's and Loomis's overpass containing only a ticket booth and turnstiles and a long passageway ramp connecting the two.

Service

Racine sits at the base of the Loomis ramp, a double-tracked viaduct that rises from the expressway to join the Douglas Branch north of Polk station. Prior to April 28, 2008, the Blue Line split into two branches here. Trains to Forest Park continued west in the Congress Expressway, while the other trains took the Loomis Ramp to the Douglas branch to operate to 54th/Cermak. After April 28, 2008, the Douglas Branch service was discontinued and replaced by the Pink Line. Although the Loomis Ramp no longer is used for revenue service, it remains intact as the only track connection between the Blue Line and the rest of the system, allowing for non-revenue equipment moves. When construction or another means of traffic obstruction occurs on the Pink Line between Polk and Ashland, trains are routed via the Loomis Ramp to Racine, where they terminate.

Location

The station is located at 430 South Racine Avenue and gives access to the University Village neighborhood and the western end of the UIC campus. It is in the Eisenhower Expressway median at surface level. The Loomis Street entrance to the Racine station is located near Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and Andrew Jackson Language Academy.

Bus connections

CTA

• 7 Harrison
• 60 Blue Island/26th (Owl Service)
• 126 Jackson

Pace

• 755 Plainfield/IMD Express

Notes and references

External links

• Racine (Congress Line) Station Page
• Loomis Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Racine Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View