Quincy station (CTA)

Quincy
Location	220 South Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606
Coordinates	41°52′44″N 87°38′01″W / 41.878752°N 87.633703°W / 41.878752; -87.633703
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Brown Line   Orange Line   Purple Line weekday rush hours only   Pink Line
Platforms	2 Side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Union Station (3 blocks west) CTA Buses
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
History
Opened	October 3, 1897
Rebuilt	1985–1988 (Historic Restoration), 2016–17 (accessibility improvements, historic refurbishment)
Previous names	Quincy/Wells
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	2,288,353[1]  3.1%
Rank	19 out of 143[lower-alpha 1]
Services
Preceding station   Chicago "L"   Following station Washington/Wells One-way operation Brown Line LaSalle/Van Buren toward Kimball LaSalle/Van Buren One-way operation Orange Line Washington/Wells toward Midway Purple Line Washington/Wells toward Linden Pink Line Washington/Wells toward 54th/Cermak
Route map Legend Purple, Orange and Pink Lines North to Linden, Midway, and 54th/Cermak Adams St. Quincy St. Jackson Blvd. Brown Line south to Kimball

Quincy is a rapid transit station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system. It is located between the Washington/Wells and LaSalle/Van Buren stations in the Loop. The station is located above the intersection of Quincy Street and Wells Street in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. Having opened in 1897, it is one of the oldest surviving stations on the 'L' system.

History

Designed by Alfred M. Hedley from wood and stamped metal, Quincy opened on October 3, 1897, it retained much of its original surroundings over the years and was restored in 1985–1988, so that it is considered one of "150 great places in Illinois" by the American Institute of Architects.^[2] The station is located in the South Loop Financial District and is the closest CTA rail station to the Willis Tower, approximately one block west. It is also close to Union Station, the terminal for several Metra and Amtrak routes and about three blocks west of Quincy, although the Clinton station on the Blue Line is closer.

Quincy is an elevated station, located above Quincy Street between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard. It features two side platforms and station houses, one on the west to serve the Outer Loop track, and one on the east to serve the Inner Loop track. Turnstiles for fare payment are located in the station houses on the platform level. The station once had a transfer bridge, but this was removed in the 1980s. This means it is not possible to change from one platform to the other without paying another fare or asking for employee assistance. There are auxiliary exits to both Adams and Jackson on the Inner Loop platform, while the Outer Loop only has an auxiliary exit to Adams. Both platforms are designed to handle eight-car trains, the longest the CTA 'L' system can run.

Prior to September 1953, the station also featured a walkway to the Wells Street Terminal for convenient transfers to interurban trains of the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad.

From 1985 to 1988, Quincy was restored to an appearance much as it would have looked when it opened. Some materials, such as signage, were changed although several of the station's features are original to its 1897 opening.

A renovation project will begin at the station in 2016 and will continue through the end of 2017, the renovation project will add two new elevators to the station to make it accessible for people with disabilities, other improvements include new stairs and better lighting, the station will remain open during the renovation project. ^[3]

Services

In normal operation, the station is serviced by the Brown, Orange, and Pink Lines. During weekday rush hours, the Purple Line also stops here. Brown Line trains stop at the Outer Loop platform, while all other lines stop at the Inner Loop platform.

In addition to 'L' trains, the station provides service to several CTA bus routes: the 1 Bronzeville/Union Station, 7 Harrison, 28 Stony Island, 37 Sedgwick, 126 Jackson, 134 Stockton/LaSalle Express, 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Express, 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Express, 151 Sheridan, and 156 LaSalle.

Period advertisements at Quincy station

Dayview

Interior

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quincy (CTA).

• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-1-A, "Union Elevated Railroad, Quincy Street Station"
• Quincy/Wells Station Page at Chicago-'L'.org

• CTA - Train schedules: Brown Purple Orange Pink

• Ridership figures, 2009 (172 KiB)

• Adams Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Quincy Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
• Jackson Boulevard entrance from Google Maps Street View