It’s time to build the Western Avenue Green Line Station

Sam Kovnar is the founder of the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance, a local volunteer network focused on advocating for safe streets, fast frequent transit, and access to housing on the Near Northwest Side of Chicago. As a guest op-ed, this article does not necessarily reflect Streetsblog Chicago staffers’ perspectives on this issue.

In 2024, the CTA and the City of Chicago officially cut the ribbon on the brand-new Damen Avenue Green Line station. It had been a long, hard road to get the ‘L’ stop finished. Initially planned as a three-year project, the initiative ran into multiple complications after it was first proposed, before being delayed even further by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing shutdowns and supply chain holdups. But on August 5, 2024, the station was finally completed and open for business.

Mayor Brandon Johnson and then-Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) celebrated the opening of the station as a win for mobility justice. The stop has improved access to rapid transit for neighborhoods that have historically been stripped of transportation options. It has supported the adjacent housing development at Damen Avenue and Lake Street. And, with the United Center redesign already in its early stages, this station is only going to become more important for supporting housing and economic development on the Near West Side.

However, there is another location that is in desperate need of attention. It is time for us to build a Green Line station at Western Avenue.

The Green Line is the only CTA rail line that crosses Western Avenue without a station. The absence of a this bus-train transfer point at this location is one of the most visible gaps in the entire transit system, due to both its relative proximity to downtown as well as the highly successful bus corridor running beneath it. Western Avenue has the third highest ridership of any bus corridor in the city. When you look at the numbers, the reasons behind this are obvious. As shown in the chart and graphs below, compared to parallel routes on California and Damen avenue, Route 49 Western is faster, more frequent, and runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The success of the Western Avenue bus routes is no accident, but a success story of strategic investment and wise planning. As of last year, Western Avenue is part of the CTA’s “Frequent Network,” meaning that Route 49 is dispatched to appear at bus stops every ten minutes or less. Higher frequency means less waiting and easier transfers, but it also takes additional resources and careful planning.

Unlike Damen Avenue, whose recently-opened Green Line station replaced one that had been gone since 1948, Western Avenue never had a Green Line connection. In fact, back when the tracks that would eventually become the Green Line were built, Western Avenue did not exist. Instead, the Green Line had stations on Oakley Boulevard and Campbell Avenue – two streets which are now in quiet residential neighborhoods. When those stations were closed in 1948, no station was built to replace them.

Today, Western Avenue has caught the eye of many transit advocates as a candidate for Bus Rapid Transit, or even a future ‘L’ line. In addition to being the longest continuous street in the city, Western also has unparalleled connections with rail transit routes, including both Metra and ‘L’ corridors. These connections make Western Avenue an appealing choice for a north-south backbone transit route outside of the Loop. By building a Western Avenue Green Line station, we would be laying the groundwork for a future rapid transit corridor. And in the meantime, a Green Line connection to Route 49 has the potential to maximize the value of both our rail infrastructure and our bus network.

Last year, transit advocates across Chicagoland spent ten months pushing lawmakers in Springfield to save our transit system, and on the final day of the veto session, our state legislature pulled through. Now, for the first time in a long time, many of us are dealing with a new, unusual feeling: hope for the future. With that optimism has come a number of potential megaprojects vying for the attention of our elected officials.

In this landscape of big ideas, the Northwest Neighborhood Alliance puts forward this modest proposal that could have a seismic impact. Building the Western Avenue Green Line station would not be a megaproject, but a surgical strike. It would bring together our third-busiest bus corridor with a valuable yet underused section of the ‘L’ network. The project would bring fast, reliable rail transit to a neighborhood that has not previously had access. And most importantly, it would lay the groundwork for Chicago’s transit-oriented future.

Right now, we are at a critical moment that could decide the fate of this project. With municipal elections coming up in February, building a Western Avenue Green Line station has the potential to become an election issue in the 27th Ward. Incumbent Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett III (the son of Walter Burnett Jr., appointed by Johnson after the older Burnett stepped down in August 2025) has only hinted at the idea of a Western Green Line station. However, his leading challenger Nate Cornell has made a campaign promise to build the new ‘L’ stop. We have a unique opportunity to push both of these candidates in the direction of bold, strategic transit planning, right here, right now.

Here is how you can help. The Northwest Neighborhood Alliance has launched a petition in favor of building a Green Line station at Western Avenue. It would mean the world to us if you would sign on. You can also contact Alderman Burnett’s office and let him know that this project is important to you.

This is our chance to help build a more connected Chicago. Let’s do it.

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