51st (CTA station)

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51st
File:51st CTA 060518.jpg
Location 319 East 51st Street
Chicago, Illinois 60615
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Owned by Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s) Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Platforms 2 Side platforms
Tracks 2 tracks
Connections CTA bus
Construction
Structure type Elevated
Bicycle facilities Yes
Disabled access Yes
History
Opened August 28, 1892
Rebuilt 1996–1997
Traffic
Passengers (2014) 362,309[1][lower-alpha 1]Decrease 19%
Rank 130 out of 143[lower-alpha 2]
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station
toward Harlem/Lake
Green Line
Route map
Green Line
north to Harlem/Lake
51st St.
Green Line
south to Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove

51st is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in Chicago, Illinois and serving the Green Line. It is situated at 319 E 51st Street, three blocks east of State Street. It opened on August 28, 1892.[2]

History

51st was built in 1892 when the South Side Elevated Railroad extended its line southward to serve the World's Columbian Exposition. The original station was designed by Myron H. Church and was a brick building with some elements of the Queen Anne style and a half-cone bay. The platforms at 51st were constructed like all other South Side Elevated Railroad platforms and consisted of wooden platforms with a tin canopy.

When the A/B skip-stop system was introduced in 1949, 51st became an AB station.[3] Because Garfield and 58th were B and A stations respectively, 51st became the transfer point between the Englewood (A) and Jackson Park (B) branches of the South Side Elevated. It served as the transfer point until 1982, when Garfield became an AB station.

51st closed in 1990, so its original canopies could be removed. The station underwent further renovations during the 1994-96 Green Line closure, and its station house was replaced with a modern station house with a white and green tile facade. The platforms were also rebuilt, and steel and glass platforms replaced the old wooden ones. Construction at 51st was not completed until 1997, a year after the Green Line reopened.[4]

Services

51st is located in and serves the Washington Park and Grand Boulevard neighborhoods of Chicago along with the 47th and Garfield stations. Trains toward Harlem/Lake arrive every ten minutes, as do trains toward Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove. During 2007, 340,624 passengers boarded at 51st, making it the 22nd busiest station on the Green Line.[5]

51st has two elevated side platforms which serve the Green Line's two tracks. A station building on the south side of 51st Street houses the fare controls and connects to both platforms via stairs and elevators. Auxiliary exit stairs are located on the north side of 51st Street. The station is fully wheelchair accessible.

Bus connections

CTA

  • #15 Jeffery Local

Notes and references

Notes

  1. 51st saw significantly higher ridership in 2013 due to the diversion of Red Line trains through this station while the Dan Ryan branch was closed for construction.
  2. Due to possible double-counting of physically-connected stations, the CTA's official 2014 tally of stations was 145, but for ridership purposes reported having only 143 stations.

References

  1. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. 51st Street Station Page at Chicago-L.Org
  5. Chicago Transit Authority ridership figures by station entrance (2007)

External links