Clark/Lake station

Clark/Lake   100W 200N Clark/Lake   100W 200N
Clark/Lake elevated platforms
General information
Location	100-124 West Lake Street Chicago, Illinois 60601
Coordinates	41°53′09″N87°37′51″W / 41.885767°N 87.630886°W / 41.885767; -87.630886
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority (elevated) City of Chicago (subway)
Lines	Milwaukee–Dearborn subway Loop Elevated
Platforms	2 side platforms (elevated) 1 island platform (subway)
Tracks	4 (2 on each level)
Construction
Structure type	Subway (Blue) & Elevated (Loop)
Depth	40 ft (12 m) (Blue Line platform)
Platform levels	2
Bicycle facilities	Yes
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Website	www.transitchicago.com/station/clkl/
History
Opened	September 22, 1895;130 years ago (1895-09-22) (Elevated Platforms) [1] [2] February 25, 1951;74 years ago (1951-02-25) (Subway Platform)
Rebuilt	1988–1992;34 years ago (1992) (elevated station)
Previous names	Lake Transfer (Subway)
Passengers
2024	2,801,486 [3]   12.1%(CTA)
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Grand toward O'Hare   Blue Line Washington toward Forest Park Washington/​Wells One-way operation Orange Line Washington/​Wabash toward Midway   State/​Lake Temporarily closed toward Midway   Clinton toward Harlem/​Lake Green Line Washington/​Wabash toward Ashland/​63rd or Cottage Grove State/​Lake Temporarily closed toward Ashland/​63rd or Cottage Grove Merchandise Mart One-way operation Purple Line Express Washington/​Wabash toward Linden State/​Lake Temporarily closed toward Linden Clinton One-way operation Pink Line Washington/​Wabash toward 54th/​Cermak State/​Lake Temporarily closed toward 54th/​Cermak Merchandise Mart toward Kimball Brown Line Washington/​Wabash One-way operation State/​Lake Temporarily closed One-way operation
Former services Preceding station Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad Following station Merchandise Mart toward Milwaukee North Shore Line Randolph/​Wabash One-way operation Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Randolph/Wells Closed 1995 One-way operation Orange Line State/​Lake toward Midway   Fifth/Lake Closed 1899 toward Austin Lake Street Elevated State/​Lake toward Adams/​Wabash Randolph/Wells One-way operation Loop Shuttle State/​Lake Next clockwise
Track layout Legend Elevated station Green to Harlem/​Lake Brown to Kimball LaSalle St. Thompson Center Clark St. Purple Express to Linden Orange to Midway   Pink to 54th/​Cermak Green to Ashland/​63rd or Cottage Grove Subway station Lake St. Blue west to O'Hare   Wells St. LaSalle St. Thompson Center Clark St. Blue east to Forest Park
Location

Clark/Lake is an 'L' station located at 100/124 West Lake Street in Chicago's Loop district, and is accessed from the James R. Thompson Center and 203 North LaSalle building. It is one of the most complex stations on the 'L' system, comprising an elevated station and a subway station. The elevated station is serviced by the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Lines, while the subway platform is serviced by the Blue Line.

In December 2014, it had an average of 17,644 weekday passenger entrances, making it the second busiest station in the 'L' system. ^[4] The Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago City Hall, and Chicago Title and Trust Center are also served by the station. It is the busiest station on the Loop Elevated, and the second-busiest station on the 'L' system as of December 2014.

History

Clark/Lake subway platform, facing east

Clark/Lake subway platform, facing west

Elevated station (1895–1992)

The original elevated station opened on September 22, 1895 as one of three stations on the Lake Street Elevated Railroad's "Wabash extension". ^{[1] [2]} This extension became the Lake Street leg of the Union Loop when it was completed in 1897.

Subway station (1951–1992)

The subway station opened as Lake Transfer on February 25, 1951.

Combined station (1992)

From 1988 to 1992, the elevated station was reconstructed, with its main entrance in the James R. Thompson Center. This allows transfers between the elevated station and the subway station without leaving the paid area, and so the stations were combined into a single station. Due to this, it is the only station that serves six of the eight lines. The Blue Line serves the subway station while the Green Line stops at both sides of the elevated station, Orange, Pink and Purple Line trains stop at the Inner Loop platform, and Brown Line trains stop at the Outer Loop platform.

Renovation and new Google Chicago campus

In late 2024, CTA announced a major renovation of the Clark/Lake station. ^[5] Under an amended agreement with JRTC Holdings, the developer of the former James R. Thompson Center site and new Google Chicago campus, CTA plans to relocate the station’s main entrance from its current location under the tracks on Lake Street to the northeast corner of Clark Street. The project also includes updates to the station mezzanine to better match the surrounding redevelopment.

CTA officials describe the effort as part of a broader initiative to revitalize the Loop and improve rider experience, noting that Clark/Lake connects six rail lines and multiple bus routes and is a key transfer point for thousands of commuters daily.

The renovation is planned in phases through late 2026, with additional platform and station improvements included in CTA’s portion of the project.

Bus connections

CTA ^[6]

•   22   Clark (Owl Service)
•   24   Wentworth (weekdays only)
•   134   Stockton/LaSalle Express (weekday rush hours only)
•   135   Clarendon/LaSalle Express (weekday rush hours only)
•   136   Sheridan/LaSalle Express (weekday rush hours only)
•   156   LaSalle (weekdays only)

References

1. "Service on Lake Street "L" Extension". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 20, 1895. p. 12.
2. "Put in New Rails". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 23, 1895. p. 11.
3. "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2024" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. January 22, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
4. "Monthly Ridership Report – December 2015" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 11, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
5. "The CTA Announces Plans for Major Changes at the Clark/Lake Loop Elevated Station". CTA. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
6. "Clark/Lake Station Information". CTA. Retrieved February 25, 2023.

External links

Media related to Clark/Lake (CTA) at Wikimedia Commons

• Clark/Lake on CTA website
• Clark/Lake station page
• Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. IL-1-E, " Union Elevated Railroad, Clark Street Station "
• Clark Street entrance to elevated line from Google Maps Street View
• Lake Street entrance to Thompson Center from Google Maps Street View
• Wells Street entrance to subway from Google Maps Street View