Bryn Mawr station (CTA)

Bryn Mawr   5600N 1200W
Rebuilt platform on reopening day
General information
Location	1119 West Bryn Mawr Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60660
Coordinates	41°59′01″N87°39′32″W / 41.983572°N 87.658862°W / 41.983572; -87.658862
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	North Side Main Line
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	4
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	May 16, 1908;117 years ago (1908-05-16)
Rebuilt	1921, 1974, 2021–25
Previous names	Edgewater
Passengers
2024	537,773 [1]   16.6%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Thorndale toward Howard Red Line Berwyn toward 95th/​Dan Ryan       Purple Line does not stop here
Former services Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station North Edgewater toward Llewellyn Park Chicago – Evanston Argyle Park toward Chicago
Track layout Legend Red to Howard Hollywood Ave. Bryn Mawr Ave. Red to 95th/​Dan Ryan
Location

Bryn Mawr is an 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA's) Red Line. It is located at 1119 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Bryn Mawr Historic District of the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Thorndale, located about 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) to the north, and Berwyn, about 3⁄8 mile (0.6 km) to the south. Four tracks pass through the station, with an island platform in the center of the tracks; Purple Line weekday rush hour express trains pass through the station on the outer tracks, but do not stop. The name "Bryn Mawr" comes from the SEPTA Regional Rail (and former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line) station located northwest of Philadelphia in the community of the same name. The name was given to the area in the 1880s by Edgewater developer John Lewis Cochran; ^[2] it is Welsh for "Big Hill".

History

Station platform before reconstruction

A depot on the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad Evanston route was constructed at Bryn Mawr in about 1886. ^[3] When the Northwestern Elevated Railroad was extended north from Wilson in 1908, taking over from Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, they opened a station at Bryn Mawr called Edgewater Station. This station was rebuilt to a design by architect Charles P. Rawson when the tracks between Wilson and Howard were elevated onto an embankment in 1921 – the name was changed to Bryn Mawr soon after. ^[4] The station was extensively renovated in 1974, and an escalator was added. In 2006, the signage at Bryn Mawr was replaced, and three-sided pylons which display maps and schedules were installed in the station house and on the platform.

Red & Purple Modernization Project

Further information: Red and Purple Modernization Project

Temporary (left) and permanent (right) station houses during construction (June 2025)

As part of this project, the Bryn Mawr station was rebuilt with a wider platform and new signage, lights, security cameras, and elevators. Reconstruction began in May 2021 and was completed in July 2025. ^{[5] [6] [7]} During Stage A of the reconstruction, the northbound tracks were closed, with northbound trains using the southbound side of the original platform and southbound Red Line trains stopping at a temporary side platform on the original Purple line express track. Unlike a similar renovation at the same time at Argyle, where both platforms used a common temporary entrance, northbound trains used the original entrance while southbound trains used temporary entrance half a block north, not connected to each other inside the paid area. ^[8] During Stage B (2023–25), the two western tracks were out of service, with the new eastern tracks carrying all trains, with a side platform located between each set of tracks just south of the original and permanent new platform. Only southbound trains stopped at Bryn Mawr since there is no space to build a temporary northbound platform. ^[9] When Stage B finished on July 20, 2025, the station returned to its original track configuration. ^[10]

Services

Bryn Mawr is used by passengers traveling between the Edgewater neighborhood and other parts of Chicago. The station is open 24 hours a day. Trains service Bryn Mawr every four to ten minutes on weekdays, and every six to ten minutes on weekends. Nighttime "owl" service operates every 15 minutes or more.

The main station house at Bryn Mawr is located on the north side of Bryn Mawr Avenue. There are two auxiliary exits: one on the south side of Bryn Mawr Avenue and another a block north on Hollywood Avenue. Outside of the station house are three granite compass roses to help exiting passengers orient themselves. The fare controls at Bryn Mawr are located at ground level inside the station house; past the fare controls, passengers take stairs, an elevator, or an escalator to the island platform. Bicycle storage is available at Bryn Mawr.

Bus connections

CTA

• 36 Broadway ^[11]
• 84 Peterson ^[12]

References

1. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2024" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. January 22, 2025. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
2. "Cochran's Third Addition to Edgewater". Edgewater Historical Society. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
3. Bryn Mawr - The Historical Perspective. The Edgewater Historical Society (URL accessed September 24, 2006).
4. Bryn Mawr. Chicago-"L".org (URL accessed September 24, 2006).
5. "CTA unveils new Red Line station designs - Chicago Sun-Times". January 28, 2021.
6. "The CTA has unveiled the designs for four renovated Red Line stations".
7. "CTA Red & Purple Modernization: Lawrence to Bryn Mawr Modernization Project".
8. "Customer Alert: Bryn Mawr Temporary Station Opens". CTA. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
9. "Red and Purple Modernization Program".
10. "New Bryn Mawr, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence Stations Open" . Retrieved July 20, 2025.
11. "36 Broadway (Bus Route Info) - CTA".
12. "84 Peterson (Bus Route Info)".

External links

• Train schedule (PDF) at CTA official site
• Bryn Mawr Station Page CTA official site
• Bryn Mawr Avenue entrance from Google Maps Street View