Jefferson Park Transit Center

Jefferson Park
Bus Terminal at the Jefferson Park Transit Center
Location	4963 North Milwaukee Avenue (Metra) 4917 North Milwaukee Avenue (CTA) Jefferson Park, Chicago, Illinois 60630
Coordinates
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority & Metra
Line(s)
Platforms	1 side platform, 1 island platform (Metra) 1 island platform (CTA)
Tracks	5 (3 Metra, 2 CTA)
Connections	CTA Buses Pace Buses
Construction
Structure type	Elevated (Metra) Surface-Level (CTA)
Platform levels	3
Parking	Yes, $1.50 (Independent)
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	B (Metra)
History
Opened	Late-1850s (CStP&FDL) February 1, 1970 (CTA)
Rebuilt	1958 (C&NW) 1970 (CTA) 2000-2001
Electrified	Third rail (CTA)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)	2,173,168  1.7% (CTA)
Rank	26 out of 143
Services
Preceding station   Metra   Following station Gladstone Park toward Harvard or McHenry Union Pacific Northwest Irving Park toward Ogilvie Chicago "L" Harlem toward O'Hare Blue Line O'Hare Branch Montrose toward Forest Park

The Jefferson Park Transit Center is an intermodal passenger transport center, in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It serves as a station for rail and also as a bus terminal. Jefferson Park Transit Center's railroad station is on Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line, with the station located at 4963 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Jefferson Park is 8.7 miles (14.0 km) away from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, the inbound terminus of the Union Pacific/Northwest Line. Under Metra's zone-based fare system, Jefferson Park is in zone B. The station is part of a larger transit center that also includes an 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line, as well as a bus station. The segment for the 'L' is a surface level station with a single island platform, located in the median of the Kennedy Expressway at 4917 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Blue Line trains run at intervals of 2–7 minutes during rush hour, and take 25 minutes to travel to the Loop. This was the terminal for Blue Line trains once the service was extended from Logan Square. The line was extended from Jefferson Park, but some weekday rush hour trips end here.

Station layout

1F Platform level	Side platform, doors will open on the right
	Metra	← Union Pacific/Northwest Line toward Harvard or McHenry (Gladstone Park)
	Metra	← Union Pacific/Northwest Line toward Harvard, McHenry, or Ogilvie (Gladstone Park or Irving Park) →
	Island platform, doors will open on the left, right
	Metra	→ Union Pacific/Northwest Line toward Ogilvie (Irving Park) →
G	Street level	Entrance/Exit
B1 Platform level	Northbound	← Blue Line toward O'Hare (Harlem)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Southbound	→ Blue Line toward Forest Park (Montrose) →

History

The original Jefferson Park Station was built in the late-1850s, by the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad at ground level, and became part of the Chicago and North Western Railway when the CStP&F went bankrupt in 1859. C&NW raised it above ground in 1958. On February 1, 1970, Jefferson Park's 'L' station opened as the northwestern terminus of the Kennedy Expressway extension of the CTA's Milwaukee Line (now the Blue Line), as an addition to the Jefferson Park Chicago & North Western depot. The station was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. In 1983, the branch was extended past Jefferson Park to Rosemont. The station was renovated in 2000–2001, and an elevator added to aid access. In 2005, a monument to Thomas Jefferson was placed along the station's entrance along Milwaukee Avenue.

Structure

The Metra station has three tracks, a side platform for the inbound local track, and an island platform for the center express track and outbound local track. The side platform serves inbound trains, and the southwest platform serves outbound trains as well as the center track which carries both express trains in both directions as well as trains that short-turn at Des Plaines. However, only two trains stop at Jefferson Park on the center track on weekdays, as the station is bypassed by express trains. A station house open from 5:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. is located on the inbound platform. There is no ticket agent at Jefferson Park, so tickets must be purchased on board the train. Jefferson Park has a park and ride lot operated by Imperial Parking.

The Blue Line station is located in the median, and like all other stations on this segment, has two tracks and one island platform.

Bus connections

CTA Buses

• #56 Milwaukee
• #68 Northwest Highway
• #81 Lawrence (Owl Service)
• #81W West Lawrence
• #85 Central
• #85A North Central
• #88 Higgins
• #91 Austin
• #92 Foster
• #X98 Avon Express

Pace Buses

• #225 Central-Howard
• #226 Oakton Street
• #270 Milwaukee Avenue

Image gallery

• 

  Jefferson Park CTA Blue Line Platform

• 

  The same Blue Line Platform from a different view

• 

  Jefferson Park Metra Station

• 

  Jefferson Park Transit Center Sign

External links

• Metra – Stations – Jefferson Park

• Jefferson Park Transit Center (Chicago 'L'.org)
• Northwest Chicago Historical Society Newsletter devoted to Jefferson Park's role as a transit hub
• CTA - Train schedule PDF

• Ridership figures, 2009 PDF (172 KiB)

• Milwaukee Avenue entrance (North Bus Terminal) from Google Maps Street View
• Milwaukee Avenue entrance (South Bus Terminal and Thomas Jefferson Statue) from Google Maps Street View
• Argyle Street entrance to Metra from Google Maps Street View

• Metra Railfan Tips - Union Pacific/Northwest Line
• Jefferson Park Historical Society(with colorized 1924 image of original station)
• Jefferson Park. Chicago-"L".org (URL accessed October 8, 2006).