Cumberland
 
8400W
5700N
Chicago 'L' rapid transit station
A domed glass building with blue and white trim
The exterior of the station building at Cumberland
General information
Location5800 North Cumberland Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60631
Coordinates41°59′03″N 87°50′17″W / 41.984246°N 87.838028°W / 41.984246; -87.838028
Owned byChicago Transit Authority
Line(s)O'Hare Branch
Platforms1 Island platform
Tracks2
ConnectionsCTA
Pace
Greyhound Buses
Burlington Trailways Buses
Construction
Structure typeExpressway median
Parking 1633 spaces
Bicycle facilitiesYes
AccessibleYes
History
OpenedFebruary 27, 1983 (1983-02-27)
Rebuilt2016
Passengers
2022488,142[1] Increase 29.8%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station
Rosemont
toward O'Hare
Blue Line Harlem
toward Forest Park
Location

Cumberland is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system. Situated on the Blue Line between Rosemont and Harlem, the station is located in the median of the Kennedy Expressway at Cumberland Avenue in the O'Hare community area, in the Schorsch Forest View neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side. It is also in close proximity to both the Norwood Park neighborhood and the city of Park Ridge as well as the village of Norridge . The area surrounding the station consists of mixed commercial and residential development.

The Cumberland station was first proposed in 1972 as part of an extension of the Blue Line from Logan Square to O'Hare International Airport. The station opened on February 27, 1983, along with Harlem and Rosemont. The three new stations brought 6,000 new riders to the northwest CTA line in the following month, and Cumberland became especially attractive to suburban commuters. The station at Cumberland consists of a single island platform; a pedestrian overpass connects the platform to a station building to the south and an exit stairway to the north. The station also includes a bus terminal and a park and ride lot. Trains serve Cumberland 24 hours a day every day; the headway between trains is 2–7 minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times. In addition to trains, Cumberland also serves CTA buses, Pace buses, Burlington Trailways buses, and Greyhound buses.

Location

Cumberland is located at the junction of Cumberland Avenue and the Kennedy Expressway (I-90, exit 79). The station is located on a border between O'Hare and Norwood Park.[2][3] It is the closest 'L' station to the city of Park Ridge, which borders Chicago along Higgins Road north of the station.[4] The area surrounding the station consists of a mixture of planned development, commercial, and residential areas.[5] Citicorp Plaza, an office building which houses the headquarters of telecommunications provider U.S. Cellular, is located to the south of Cumberland at 8410 W. Bryn Mawr.[6] The Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel is also located near the station at 8500 W. Bryn Mawr.[7]

History

Panorama of the station interior.

The extension of the CTA line in the median of the Kennedy Expressway from Jefferson Park to O'Hare Airport, which included the construction of the Cumberland station, was first proposed by Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1972 by the Chicago Public Works Commission. The cost of this project was initially estimated at $80 million.[8] The Chicago Plan Commission approved the project on August 8, 1974; by this point, the estimated cost of the project had risen to $174 million.[9] The federal government approved the project and agreed to provide 80 percent of the funds for its construction in 1978, and construction on the 7.9-mile (12.7 km) extension began in March 1980.[10][11][12] The extension was originally planned to open in 1982; however, its opening was delayed after a series of incidents including two strikes by workers on the line.[12][13] The section of the extension from Jefferson Park to River Road, including Cumberland, opened on February 27, 1983; the CTA ran free shuttle trains between the new stations at River Road, and Harlem, the day before their opening so riders could "get acquainted" with the new line.[14] The final cost of the extension was $198.9 million, with the Cumberland station costing approximately $10 million.[11][12]

In the month following the opening of the three new stations 6,000 additional commuters used the northwest service.[15] The Cumberland station became particularly attractive to suburban commuters from Des Plaines and Park Ridge; a study commissioned shortly after the station's opening found that only 12.4% of commuters parking in the Cumberland and Rosemont stations were Chicagoans.[16] The influx of suburban commuters to the new Blue Line stops led to a fall in ridership on the Chicago & Northwestern's Northwest Line, which traditionally served the northwest suburbs near the new stops.[16]

Facilities

A tall prism sculpture in a glass atrium.
Rock Bow in the Cumberland station building

The Cumberland station was designed by Wojciech M. Madeyski of the architectural firm Perkins and Will.[17] Cumberland's island platform is located in the median of the Kennedy Expressway to the west of Cumberland Avenue. It serves the Blue Line's two tracks; the northern track serves trains to O'Hare, while the southern track serves trains to Forest Park. Electronic signs on the platform offer real-time information about train arrivals and service alerts; Cumberland is one of four 'L' stations with these signs, which were installed in 2002 as part of a pilot program.[18] A pedestrian overpass connects the platform to entrances on the north and south sides of the expressway.[14] The north side of the overpass leads to an exit stairway, while the south side leads to the main station building. The station building houses a public art sculpture, Rock Bow by Charles Ross; the sculpture consists of a 40 feet (12 m) high metal-cased prism set in a limestone base.[19] Cumberland's bus terminal and park and ride lot are also located south of the platform.[14] The park and ride lot has 1633 spaces and is operated by CPS Parking; the lot originally had 706 spaces and expanded to its current capacity in 1992.[20][21] The facilities at Cumberland are handicapped accessible.[22]

Train Service

A train platform with tracks on either side. A digital sign hangs from an overhead canopy.
Platform at Cumberland, 2021

Cumberland is part of the CTA's Blue Line, which runs from O'Hare Airport to downtown Chicago and Forest Park. It is the third inbound station from O'Hare on the Blue Line and is situated between the Rosemont and Harlem stations. Blue Line trains serve Cumberland 24 hours a day every day; trains operate roughly every 7 to 10 minutes during rush hour and midday operation, with longer headways of up to 30 minutes at night.[23][24] The station is approximately seven minutes from O'Hare, 31 minutes from Clark/Lake in the Loop, and 52 minutes from Forest Park.[24][25][26][27] 1,304,280 passengers boarded at Cumberland in 2011.[28]

Bus connections

CTA

  • 81W West Lawrence

Pace

  • 240 Dee Road (Weekday Rush Hours only)
  • 241 Greenwood/Talcott (Weekday Rush Hours only)
  • 290 Touhy Avenue
  • 331 Cumberland/5th Avenue (Monday-Saturday only)

Greyhound[29]

Cumberland services several bus routes in addition to 'L' trains. One CTA bus route terminate at the station, the 81W West Lawrence; this route provides service to Cumberland Avenue, Lawrence Avenue, East River Road, and the Jefferson Park Transit Center.[22][30][31] Four Pace bus routes also terminate at Cumberland: the 240 Dee Road, the 241 Greenwood/Talcott, the 290 Touhy Avenue, and the 331 Cumberland/5th Avenue.[22] These routes connect to the Golf Mill Shopping Center, the Howard 'L' station, and the communities of Park Ridge, Niles and Brookfield.[32][33][34][35] Intercity bus routes operated by Greyhound[36] and by Burlington Trailways[37] also make stops at this station.

References

  1. ↑ "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2022" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ "O'Hare Community Area Map" (PDF). City of Chicago. June 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Norwood Park Community Area Map" (PDF). City of Chicago. June 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ "City of Park Ridge Street Map" (PDF). City of Park Ridge. March 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  5. ↑ City of Chicago Zoning Map (Map). Chicago Department of Zoning. 2010.
  6. ↑ Eddie Baeb (April 23, 2008). "U.S. Cellular to explore HQ move". Crain's Chicago Business.
  7. ↑ "Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel". Renaissance Hotels. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  8. ↑ Schreiber, Edward (December 15, 1972). "City Urged to Extend CTA 'L' Along Kennedy to O'Hare". Chicago Tribune. p. 10.
  9. ↑ Gilbert, David (August 12, 1974). "Foes ask review of O'Hare link". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  10. ↑ Coffey, Raymond; David Young (June 6, 1978). "Transit plan, O'Hare link get federal OK". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  11. 1 2 "CTA Celebrates 20 Years of Service to O'Hare Airport". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 Young, David (February 13, 1981). "Chicago 'L' line to O'Hare in 1982". Chicago Tribune.
  13. ↑ Young, David (June 22, 1982). "Sidetracked transit". Chicago Tribune. p. D12.
  14. 1 2 3 Young, David; John C. White (February 27, 1983). "First Link of O'Hare Line Opens". Chicago Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved March 22, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. ↑ Young, David (April 6, 1983). "CTA picks up 6,000 more commuters". Chicago Tribune.
  16. 1 2 Young, David (June 1, 1983). "O'Hare extension draining C&NW ridership". Chicago Tribune.
  17. ↑ Paul Gapp (March 24, 1985). "From schools to Big Stan, local firm has had a fine 50 years". Chicago Tribune.
  18. ↑ Garfield, Graham. "Cumberland". Chicago-'L'.org. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  19. ↑ M. W. Newman (March 8, 1987). "City-sponsored artists are puttin' on the glitz". Chicago Sun-Times.
  20. ↑ "Park and Ride Locations at 'L' Stations: Blue Line". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  21. ↑ Gillis, Michael (January 9, 1992). "CTA to add parking during Kennedy Expy. work". Chicago Sun-Times.
  22. 1 2 3 "Cumberland Station Information". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Blue Line Route Guide". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  24. 1 2 "Cumberland Station Timetable" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  25. ↑ "O'Hare Station Timetable" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Clark/Lake Station Timetable" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Forest Park Station Timetable" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Annual Ridership Report: Calendar Year 2011" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  29. ↑ http://www.greyhound.com/en/locations/terminal.aspx?city=561407 Chicago Cumberland Greyhound Terminal
  30. ↑ "#69 Cumberland/East River Bus Route Information". Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  31. ↑ "#81W West Laurence". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Route 240 - Dee Road". Pace. Archived from the original on August 31, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Route 241 - Greenwood-Talcott". Pace. Archived from the original on July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Route 290 - Touhy Avenue". Pace. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  35. ↑ "Route 331 - Cumberland-5th Avenue". Pace. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  36. ↑ "Greyhound.com: Locations: Chicago (Cumberland), Illinois". Greyhound. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  37. ↑ "burlingtontrailways.com: Routes and Maps". Burlington Trailways. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
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