Blue Line La Salle stop

[dauber]

So I checked chicago-l.org and didn't see anything that was a clear explanation, so I figured maybe you folks know.

What's with the door at the end of the platform at the LaSalle Blue Line stop?? Is it from a no-longer-used entrance, like the Polk Street entrance at the Harrison Red Line stop?? (which of course is in use again)

[BusHunter]

So I checked chicago-l.org and didn't see anything that was a clear explanation, so I figured maybe you folks know.

What's with the door at the end of the platform at the LaSalle Blue Line stop?? Is it from a no-longer-used entrance, like the Polk Street entrance at the Harrison Red Line stop?? (which of course is in use again)

If your referring to the west end of the station I would think that would be some type of storage area for possible heavy duty equipment. There is an area down there about a car length or two that has been sealed up with cinder blocks. IIRC, in the early 80's that area was opened up versus bricked. Don't know why exactly the station was longer than it is now. But in the 1951 to 1958 era that stop was a terminal. Possibly the longer station platform was needed for multiple trains. I know the tunnels seem to extend about 600 feet after the station built in accordance with the 1951 era style. Perhaps this was used for extra car storage at the time. There's also long tunnels that extend from the Wb to Eb side in that area, (about 20 feet) probably for train crews at the time as well.

[Busjack]

The pictures in Krambles's book on page 97 indicate that when it was a terminal, the diamond was immediately east of the station and the operation was first in, first out. He also has a picture after it was connected to the Congress line showing it flooded. However, the dry one only indcates that the east end of the platform was blocked, and hence one can't see the west end.

There were other indications that other tunnels in the area were either if the Chicago Aurora and Elgin were extended back to downtown (that never happened, and the interurban went out of business), or if the proposed subway from Congress to the Van Buren St. IC station were ever built (as indicated in Lind's book, and that never happened, either.)

[qwantae]

Heres other question about few other Blue Line Congress stations with list of abandoned enterance: Pulauski (Keeler) and Cicero (LaVergne) as walk bridge. How come are they out of order?

[jajuan]

Heres other question about few other Blue Line Congress stations with list of abandoned enterance: Pulauski (Keeler) and Cicero (LaVergne) as walk bridge. How come are they out of order?

Past budget issues presumably, much like the structure of the old California station of the Forest Park Branch from the days the line was still called the Congress branch. The station has been closed for close to 30 years but the platform, walkway and station house structure are still there today.

[Busjack]

Past budget issues presumably, much like the structure of the old California station of the Forest Park Branch from the days the line was still called the Congress branch. The station has been closed for close to 30 years but the platform, walkway and station house structure are still there today.

Essentially correct. I believe that goes back to the time of the 1973 cutbacks, and chicago-l.org confirms the date. The Kostner page has all of the stations closed on that date. The station at Central was a similar situation.

[jajuan]

Essentially correct. I believe that goes back to the time of the 1973 cutbacks, and chicago-l.org confirms the date. The Kostner page has all of the stations closed on that date. The station at Central was a similar situation.

Now I presume there may have been some point that there was an attempt to resurrect the California station that didn't last because I have memories of catching the train there with my mom as a small kid to go downtown when we lived on California and I was born two years after the 1973 cutbacks mentioned that also closed Central. I remember the station being closed for good in the early 80s when I was about 7 or 8.