LaSalle Street Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids LaSalle Street
Platforms of LaSalle Street Station
Location	414 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60605
Coordinates	(400 S/140 W) 41°52′32″N 87°37′57″W / 41.87553°N 87.63239°W / 41.87553; -87.63239
Owned by	Metra
Platforms	2 side platforms, 3 island platforms
Tracks	8
Connections	Chicago "L": LaSalle/Van Buren (The Loop) LaSalle (Blue Line) CTA Buses ChicaGo Dash
Construction
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Fare zone	A
History
Opened	May 22, 1852
Rebuilt	1903, 1981–1985, 2011
Services
Preceding station Metra Following station 35th Street toward Joliet Rock Island District Terminus
Former services Preceding station Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Following station Englewood toward Colorado Springs Main Line Terminus Englewood toward Joliet Suburban Service Preceding station New York Central Railroad Following station Terminus Main Line Englewood toward New York Chicago – Cairo Englewood toward Cairo Chicago – Hammond Englewood toward Hammond Preceding station New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad Following station Terminus Nickel Plate District Englewood toward Buffalo
Location

LaSalle Street Station is a busy train station in downtown Chicago. It's located at 414 South LaSalle Street. This station is a "terminal," meaning it's the end of the line for trains.

Today, LaSalle Street Station mainly serves Metra's Rock Island District commuter trains. Commuter trains help people travel between their homes in the suburbs and their jobs in the city. In the past, it was a major station for long-distance trains, called "intercity rail," from companies like the New York Central Railroad and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

The building you see today is the fifth station built on this spot. The older station was taken down in 1981. A new station and a tall building called One Financial Place (now 425 South Financial Place) were built in its place. Famous Chicago landmarks like the Chicago Board of Trade Building, Willis Tower, and Harold Washington Library are close by.

History of LaSalle Street Station

The station as it looked around 1871, rebuilt after the Great Chicago Fire.

The very first train station here opened on May 22, 1852. This happened when the Northern Indiana and Chicago Railroad finished its tracks. A few months later, on October 1, 1852, the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad also started using the station. These two railroads later became bigger companies: the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway (part of the New York Central Railroad) and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

In December 1866, a new station was built. But the terrible Great Chicago Fire in October 1871 destroyed it. Luckily, the station was rebuilt quickly after the fire.

This rebuilt station was later torn down to make way for an even newer one. The famous architectural firm Frost & Granger designed this station, which opened on July 1, 1903. This grand station stood until 1981. It was even featured in famous movies! You might have seen it in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 film North by Northwest and the 1973 movie The Sting.

For many years, other train companies also used LaSalle Street Station. The New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, also known as the Nickel Plate Road, started using it in 1882. Even after the Nickel Plate Road was sold, its trains continued to come to LaSalle until passenger service ended.

The famous 20th Century Limited train leaving LaSalle Street Station in 1935.

From 1904 to 1913, trains from the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad also used the station. They reached LaSalle by using the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific tracks.

Later, in 1957, trains from the Michigan Central Railroad began serving LaSalle. Both the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern and Michigan Central trains were part of the New York Central system. These trains stopped using LaSalle on October 26, 1968. They moved to Chicago Union Station instead.

When Amtrak started in 1971, it took over most long-distance train services in the country. However, LaSalle Street Station was not affected much at first. The Rock Island Railroad chose not to join Amtrak. It continued to run its own long-distance trains, like the Quad Cities Rocket and Peoria Rocket. These last long-distance trains left LaSalle for the final time on December 31, 1978. This marked the end of LaSalle Street Station's role as a terminal for long-distance passenger trains.

The Rock Island Railroad continued to run its commuter trains until 1980. Then, the Chicago and North Western Railway took over. Just a year later, in 1981, the RTA (now Metra) began operating these commuter lines.

From 1972 to 1975, there was a unique restaurant at the station called Track One. It used two old railroad cars, the Golden Harvest dining car and the Pacific Shore club-lounge car. These cars had once been part of the famous Golden State Limited train.

Even though only Metra's Rock Island District trains use LaSalle now, there are plans for more service in the future. Metra's proposed SouthEast Service might end here. Also, improvements from the CREATE program could allow trains from Metra's SouthWest Service to use this station.

In June 2011, the Chicago Department of Transportation opened the LaSalle/Congress Intermodal Transfer Center next to the station. This is a bus terminal that helps people easily switch to CTA buses and Blue Line trains at LaSalle.

A really cool event happened in June 2017. The Nickel Plate Road 765 steam locomotive became the first steam train to enter LaSalle Street Station since 1973! The 765 pulled special trips to Joliet, Illinois, called the Joliet Rocket. One of the cars on this trip was the historic New York Central observation car Hickory Creek. This car was built for the famous 20th Century Limited train and hadn't been to the station since 1968. The Hickory Creek was even the last car on the final run of the 20th Century Limited when it left LaSalle in December 1967.

Train Services at LaSalle

LaSalle Street Station was once a terminal for many important train lines and long-distance trains:

• Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (until 1978)
• New York Central Railroad (until October 26, 1968)
• New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate)
• Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad (from 1904 to 1913)
• Michigan Central Railroad (part of the New York Central) (from 1957 to 1968)

Some of the most famous trains that ended their journeys at LaSalle were the New York Central's 20th Century Limited (from 1902 to 1967) and the Rock Island-Southern Pacific Golden State Limited (from 1902 to 1968).

Today, LaSalle Street Station still serves commuter trains on Metra's Rock Island District. In 2007, about 17,000 people boarded Metra trains here every day!

There are plans for Metra's SouthWest Service to move from Union Station to LaSalle Street in the future. Also, the proposed Metra SouthEast Service would end at LaSalle if it gets built.

Bus Connections

You can connect to several bus routes from LaSalle Street Station.

CTA

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

ChicaGo Dash

• This is a shuttle service between Downtown Chicago and Valparaiso. It runs during rush hour.

Gallery

• 

  The Chicago Stock Exchange/LaSalle Train Station as viewed from the Willis (Sears) Tower in July 2019

• 

  LaSalle Intermodal Transfer Center

• 

  Sign for LaSalle Street Station near LaSalle/Van Buren on the Chicago "L" Loop

• 

  The Chicago Loop with the platforms and tracks of LaSalle Street Station visible in the foreground east of the Chicago River. Union Station and its tracks can be seen west of the Chicago River.