Chicago is kicking off the new year with the closure of one of the city's oldest and busiest train stations as it readies for an overhaul.
The Chicago Transit Authority is closing the State and Lake station in the Loop on Monday as the $444M renovation of the station launches. The new glass-covered station will reopen to the public in 2029.
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The new station will feature new elevators, wider platforms, larger entries and exits, brighter lighting and a large glass canopy. The work will cause temporary road closures starting Monday as well.
The cost of the renovation has more than doubled from the $180M estimated by city officials in 2021 to $444M, Block Club Chicago reported. The project is more than 90% federally funded.
The State and Lake station, which was built in 1895 as a part of the original L, has the fifth-highest ridership of any CTA station and is at one of the major transfer points downtown.
The city will also remove columns on the street level and increase vertical clearance to ease vehicle traffic, with new sidewalk bump-outs enabling pedestrians to cross streets downtown more quickly.
Chicago commercial real estate has stressed the importance of the city's public transit system to help revitalize the central business district. Proximity to public transportation increases property values, drives rents and increases accessibility across the city.
“The Loop is here largely because of transit,” Michael Edwards, president and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, told Bisnow in October.
The State and Lake station is the latest CTA stop to get an overhaul, following four Red Line stations that opened in summer 2025 after a multiyear rebuild. The Green Line opened a Damen station near the United Center in August 2024.
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