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LaSalle Street Station

From Alfawiki
LaSalle Street Station
Company typeCommuter rail station
IndustryTransportation
Founded1852
Headquarters
Chicago
,
United States
Area served
Chicago metropolitan area
ProductsCommuter rail services (Metra Rock Island District)

LaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail hub located at 414 South LaSalle Street in the heart of downtown Chicago. Founded in 1852, it functioned as a key intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968 and for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1978. Currently, it exclusively accommodates Metra's Rock Island District. The existing facility, the fifth iteration on this site, was constructed following the demolition of its predecessor in 1981 and incorporates the adjacent One Financial Place (now known as 425 South Financial Place) tower, which once housed the Chicago Stock Exchange. Nearby notable structures include the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Willis Tower, and Harold Washington Library.

History

The initial station on this location commenced operations on October 10, 1852, coinciding with the expansion of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad from 22nd Street. By December 1866, a replacement station was inaugurated, welcoming the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad as an additional tenant alongside Rock Island.

The station was destroyed during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 but was swiftly rebuilt afterward. This post-fire structure was later razed to make room for a new building designed by Frost & Granger, which opened on July 1, 1903, and remained in use until 1981. This particular station appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 film North by Northwest and the 1973 movie The Sting.

Starting in 1882, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (known as Nickel Plate Road) operated over the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway tracks to reach downtown Chicago. Initially, between 1892 and 1898, Nickel Plate maintained its own terminal south of LaSalle. After coming under LS&MS control, Nickel Plate became a tenant at LaSalle. Following its acquisition in 1916 by the Van Sweringens, passenger services continued at LaSalle until they were discontinued.

Between 1904 and 1913, the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad utilized LaSalle through trackage rights on Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific lines. During this era, C&EI was managed by the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, which had been controlled by Rock Island from 1901 to 1916.

On January 18, 1957, trains from the Michigan Central Railroad began serving LaSalle via New York Central's Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway route. The final LS&MS and Michigan Central trains used LaSalle on October 26, 1968; operations shifted to Union Station the following day through a connection at Whiting, Indiana.

With Amtrak's launch on May 1, 1971, Penn Central services had already relocated to Union Station. The Rock Island Railroad declined participation in Amtrak and continued intercity routes with the Quad Cities Rocket and Peoria Rocket until December 31, 1978—marking the cessation of intercity train service at LaSalle.

Although a connection at Englewood Union Station, completed in October 1971, enabled Rock Island trains to access Union Station, they continued operating out of LaSalle until ending intercity service in 1978. In 1980, Rock Island's commuter operations were transferred to Chicago and North Western Railway; subsequently, C&NW handed these lines over to the RTA's Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation in 1981, which later became part of Metra in 1984.

From 1972 through 1975, Rock Island ran the Track One restaurant at LaSalle using two former railroad cars originally from the Golden State Limited.

In June 2011, the Chicago Department of Transportation inaugurated the LaSalle/Congress Intermodal Transfer Center next to the station. This facility serves as a bus terminal connecting CTA buses with Blue Line trains.

In June 2017, steam locomotive Nickel Plate 765 returned to LaSalle for the first time since 1973, pulling excursions named the Joliet Rocket along Metra's Rock Island District. Among these was a car formerly known as New York Central's observation car Hickory Creek, originally built for the 20th Century Limited, which had not visited LaSalle since December 3, 1967—the date marking that train's final departure from this station.

Future Plans

At present, LaSalle station is exclusively served by Metra's Rock Island District trains, but there are intentions to broaden its usage. The proposed SouthEast Service by Metra is planned to have its terminus at LaSalle. Additionally, infrastructure improvements under the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) will facilitate access for trains from Metra's SouthWest Service to this terminal.

Services

Throughout its history, LaSalle has been the endpoint for multiple railroads, including:

Among the distinguished trains that concluded their routes here were the New York Central's 20th Century Limited (operating between 1902 and 1967) and the Rock Island-Southern Pacific's Golden State Limited (active from 1902 until 1968).

Currently, LaSalle functions as the terminal for Metra's Rock Island District commuter line, accommodating approximately 17,000 boardings daily as recorded in 2007. Planned developments include rerouting Metra's SouthWest Service from Union Station to LaSalle, in addition to establishing the proposed SouthEast Service with its endpoint at this station.

Bus connections

CTA

  • 1 Bronzeville/Union Station
  • 7 Harrison
  • 22 Clark (Owl Service)
  • 24 Wentworth
  • 36 Broadway
  • 126 Jackson
  • 130 Museum Campus (operates seasonally during summer)
  • 151 Sheridan
  • 156 LaSalle

ChicaGo Dash

  • A rush-hour shuttle service linking Downtown Chicago with Valparaiso

References

External links

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