Day 198: The El's Southern Border

     In 1958, the CTA opened up the West-Northwest route, with stations at Forest Park, UIC, and Clark/Lake(amongst many others). The line turned out to be an exceptional success, specifically its placement in the median of a major Expressway. This success was so pronounced that when the time came to build the other Expressways(Kennedy, Dan Ryan, and Stevenson) they were built with wide medians to accommodate the installation of tracks(yes, even the Stevenson). Ultimately, the Stevenson's median never received the trackwork. The Dan Ryan median received a new line replete with 8 stations(including one that was meant to serve Comiskey Park)that hooked into the rest of the elevated system at Roosevelt. The terminus for this new line was erected in the Roseland community at 95th St. As was the case with all of the other stations, the decoration at the station was kept to an absolute minimum, as per the utilitarian style favored by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill(who are known for erecting several other buildings in the city).

     Once the station opened its doors, it introduced three innovations to the CTA system that would come to define the entire system. Firstly, 95th was the first station to feature the stainless steel turnstiles that would soon become ubiquitous throughout the entire system. Secondly, this was the first station where passengers were required to pay fare with exact change(a development which came in 1991 and was soon after rendered irrelevant with the introduction of the Transit Card before the end of the decade). Thirdly, this station(and the whole Dan Ryan line in general), necessitated the acquisition of a new class of rail cars by the CTA. This need was fulfilled by the new 2200 Series of cars that entered service by the early 1970s. These stalwart cars served the city for 40 years, until they were finally retired in the summer of 2013.

     Between 2001 and 2002, the station underwent some renovations.  After a trial program initiated in 2004 in an attempt to speed boarding, the station didn't see many more alterations until 2013.  It was at this point that the entire Dan Ryan Line was shut down for 5 months in order to affect major renovations on the track structure, stripping away the entire construct and rebuilding the entire thing from scratch.  At the same time, the stations along the line are undergoing some upkeep as well.  The South portion of the Red Line, as well as the station at 95th, is scheduled to reopen later this month.