Halsted station (CTA Metropolitan Main Line)
| Company type | Rapid transit station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Defunct | 1958 |
| Fate | Closed and replaced by UIC-Halsted station on Congress Line |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Halsted functioned as a rapid transit stop on the Metropolitan main line of Chicago's Chicago "L" system from its inception in 1895 until its closure in 1958. The station ceased operations when the main line was supplanted by the Congress Line, constructed within the median of the adjacent Eisenhower Expressway. The replacement for Halsted came in the form of the UIC-Halsted on the Congress Line, which is currently incorporated into the Blue Line.
History
Operations on the Metropolitan main line along with the Logan Square branch commenced on May 6, 1895, marking the opening of Halsted station. The main line was ultimately discontinued in 1958 when it was substituted by the Congress Line, resulting in the dismantling of the original line and its associated stations.
Station details
The design of the main line included four separate tracks. At first, stations were equipped with two island platforms positioned between the outer and inner tracks, a configuration that led to dangerous curvature on the outer tracks. Between 1898 and 1914, Halsted underwent modifications to incorporate an island platform serving the inner tracks and side platforms for the outer ones. These platforms consisted of wooden surfaces supported by steel frameworks, topped with corrugated tin canopies featuring a hipped roof, which covered approximately two-thirds of their length along with stair access points.
In contrast to stations on the Metropolitan's Garfield Park and Logan Square branches—which boasted semicircular station houses with bay windows—Halsted’s original station house was constructed from brick with a flat façade resting on a stone base. The interior included painted walls, hardwood trim, restroom facilities, a water heater, a ticket counter, and a newsstand. During renovations in the 1920s led by architect Arthur U. Gerber, the station adopted an off-white terra cotta Beaux-Arts aesthetic and incorporated retail spaces adjacent to its entrance.
Ridership
In 1957, Halsted recorded a passenger count of 356,082, reflecting a 22% decrease from 456,486 passengers in 1956. This positioned it as the 78th busiest among 133 staffed "L" stations, down from 71st out of 134 in the previous year. Early in 1958 before its shutdown, ridership stood at 117,333 passengers, ranking it 112th among 124 stations. Variations in ridership data were influenced by operational adjustments such as conductors replacing agents during off-peak periods on certain lines, which affected station-specific counts. These figures do not include ridership after the inauguration of the Congress Line in 1958, which coincided with the closure of the main line.