Lake station (CTA)

Lake
 
200N
0E/0W
General information
Location188 North State Street
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Coordinates41°53′05″N 87°37′40″W / 41.884809°N 87.627813°W / 41.884809; -87.627813
OwnerCity of Chicago
LineState Street subway
Platforms1 Island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsBlue at Washington via The Pedway
Brown Green Orange Pink Purple at Washington/​Wabash (temporarily, during the closure of State/​Lake until 2029)
Construction
Structure type
Subway
Depth35 feet (11 m)
Cycle facilities
Yes (Randolph Entrance)
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedOctober 17, 1943 (as part of Washington)
June 2, 1996 (as temporary Washington-Lake station)
November 18, 1997 (as permanent Lake station)
Rebuilt1996–97 (Randolph-Washington mezzanine)
2004–05 (Lake-Randolph mezzanine and platform)
2026–29 (Elevator added at Lake-Randolph mezzanine)
Former namesWashington (part of that station)
Lake-Washington (as temporarily separate station stop)
Passengers
20253,595,197  Increase 5.7%
Rank1 out of 143
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station
Grand
toward Howard
Red Line Monroe
Former services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station
Grand
toward Howard
Red Line Washington
Closed 2006
Location

Lake is an "L" station on the CTA's Red Line in the Chicago Loop that is part of the State Street subway. Lake is a transfer station between the Red Line and the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Lines at the State/​Lake station and the Blue Line at Washington via the Chicago Pedway. In 2019, Lake had an average of 19,364 weekday passenger entries, making it the busiest 'L' station.

Lake is linked to Millennium Station and Millennium Park via a Chicago Pedway connection that can be accessed at its Randolph–Washington exit.

On November 20, 2009, the Chicago Pedway, along with the Block 37 shopping mall, reopened, linking the free sections of Lake and Washington stations.

This station was originally part of the now-closed Washington station. The original station was physically separated on June 2, 1996, for the renovation of the Randolph-Washington mezzanine. Later, Lake became an independent station on November 18, 1997, to better facilitate transfers between the Red Line subway and the elevated State/​Lake station.

In 2026, State/Lake closed for an extensive renovation, scheduled to be completed in 2029. During the closure, the CTA redirects passengers to transfer at Washington/Wabash.

Bus connections

CTA

References

  1. ↑ "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2025" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Monthly Ridership Report – December 2019" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 13, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ O'Neil, Kevin (November 23, 2009). "Block 37 connector opens at mezzanine for CTA's Blue, Red Lines". www.chicagonow.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Chicago L.org: Stations - Lake". www.chicago-l.org. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Construction to Begin in January on New, Fully Accessible State/Lake CTA Station". CTA. Retrieved August 29, 2026.

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