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 Yellow Line also lacks a station at the Evanston north-south street with the same longitude as Western, but there the road is called Asbury Avenue.)

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. [See the statement from Ald. Red Burnett in response to this article in the update below.] However, one of his challengers, 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.

Here’s an interesting wrinkle. Fulton Market Association Executive Director Roger Romanelli, has opposed multiple sustainable transportation initiatives, from the Ashland Avenue bus rapid transit proposal to, recently, the Grand Avenue Complete Streets project. But he’s actually on the right side of the Western Green Line station issue, for a change. In June he and members of the association (he’s the only staffer) held a rally to call for the new ‘L’ stop, estimating the cost at $80 million. 27th Ward Challenger Nate Cornell spoke at the rally. – John Greenfield, editor

Update 9/14/26, 12:00 PM: This morning, Ald. Walter “Red” Burnett III reached out to Streetsblog Chicago with the following message and materials, which he gave us permission to share. – Ed.

“I wanted to address your article on the Western Green Line station. 

While I have talked about the importance of more stations in my newsletter and speaking at public forums, it seems that my commitment hasn’t been fully captured, so I want to provide more context on all of the public transit work that we are looking to accomplish and the timeline in which we have gone about this important issue.”

“September 24, 2025: I was appointed to City Council.

November 2025: I secured TIF funding for two future stations (north of a combined $100 million) in a year where we saw a historic TIF sweep that emptied the accounts. That would be a station at Madison and Paulina streets on the Pink Line, and another at Division and Orleans streets on the Brown Line. Both stops are adjacent to public housing that has historically been discriminated against in regards to transit access. 

March 2026: I sat down with CTA Chair Lester Barclay and expressed my goals for expanding train access across my ward, and the desire to move quickly on these processes.

April 2026: I spoke at CTA board meeting about the urgency of investing in transit access while we have funding that could support the development of stations, especially given the cost inflation of these projects. I have attached the video of my comments here. Most importantly, I advocated for three more train stations beyond the two agreed upon: Halsted Street, Racine Street, and Western Avenue on the Green Line, noting the increasing density in those areas, and the ability to connect to buses going north-south.” 

“May 2026: I sat down with the CTA team to discuss feasibility and funding of those stations, to which I was and am willing to support with TIF funds, and all of which fall within a TIF district that replenishes heftily on an annual basis, but expires in eight years. In that meeting I was shown the initial design of the train station on Madison, and what was needed to start the process on Division. I was also informed that Halsted is not feasible given the lack of land availability on the street, but that Western and Racine were possible. And not only is Western possible, it is being recommended to be funded by the state, something that we are advocating for down in Springfield this veto season. 

Regardless of the funding from the state, we have already started the process of designing Western Station, triangulating cost, and finding securing backup funding. Western Station will come to life. 

Additionally, we are close to getting the Metra station between Ashland and Ogden avenues finalized and start the process of acquiring the land.” 

“As an avid user of public transportation and the CTA (I don’t own a car), this is one of my deepest commitments to my community and something we need to make our western neighborhoods more accessible and equitable. So I’m glad you see it as a campaign initiative, but please do take into account all of the work I’ve done to this point and all of the work I’m committed to seeing through.”

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