New Wilson CTA station officially opens in Uptown

Today, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel officially cut the ribbon on the new $203 million Wilson ‘L’ stop. Under construction since late 2014, the multi-phase project replaced more than 2,200 feet of century-old Red and Purple Line tracks and constructed a fully-accessible station in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. The historic 1923 Gerber Building at the northwest corner of Broadway and Wilson was also restored as part of the plan.

Modern updates to the station include new escalators, wider stairwells, bigger platforms, extra turnstiles, and ADA compliant elevators. In addition to increasing capacity and passenger comfort, the Uptown station opens with a number of safety improvements such as upgraded lighting and new security cameras. City officials also dedicated a new geometric piece of public art by Cecil Balmond.

The reopened station currently can be accessed via the main entrance on the south side of Wilson Avenue as well as a farecard-only auxiliary entrance on the north side of Wilson. The additional entrance along Sunnyside is not expected to open until closer to Thanksgiving, Uptown Update reports.

According to the CTA, 80 percent of the Wilson project’s $203 million price tag is covered under the Illinois Jobs Now! program with the remainder coming from the Federal Transit Administration and a special transit-oriented tax-increment financing (TIF) district.

The Wilson overhaul is part of the greater $1 billion “Red Ahead” Red Line modernization initiative. Other projects include the Belmont flyover and a new $280 million 95th Street terminal.

• Wilson Station Reconstruction [Chicago Transit Authority]
• East Platform & Wilson North Entrance Open At Red Line Station Monday [Uptown Update]
• Previous Uptown coverage [Curbed Chicago]