Main station (CTA)

This article is about the Purple Line station. For the former Yellow Line station, see Main station (CTA Niles Center Line).

Main is an 'L' station on the CTA's Purple Line at 836 Chicago Avenue in Evanston, Illinois (directional coordinates 900 north, 732 west). It is near the Main Street station of Metra's Union Pacific North Line.

Main   900N 732W
General information
Location	836 Chicago Avenue Evanston, Illinois 60202
Coordinates	42.03333°N 87.67925°W / 42.03333; -87.67925
Owned by	Chicago Transit Authority
Line(s)	Evanston Branch
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	at Evanston Main Street CTA and Pace buses
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
History
Opened	May 16, 1908; 117 years ago (1908-05-16)
Rebuilt	1909; 116 years ago (1909)
Passengers
2024	191,570[1]  6.8%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Dempster toward Linden Purple Line South Boulevard toward Howard or Loop (Clark/Lake)
Former services Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station Dempster Street toward Llewellyn Park Chicago – Evanston Calvary toward Chicago Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Dempster toward Linden Evanston Line Calvary Closed 1931 toward Howard
Track layout v t e Legend UPN north to Kenosha Purple north to Linden Main St. Evanston Main Street (UPN) Main (Purple) Washington St. Purple south to Howard or the Loop UPN south to Ogilvie TC
Location

Main Street station house in 2020

The current station has been in place since 1908, with only little renovation to the station since then, most notably a 90-foot extension of the platform in 1997 so that a motorman in the front car could see all doors stopped at the station (the platform had curved at one end previously). Main is one of the stations on the CTA's 2004-2008 Capital Improvement Plan.

Bus and rail connections

CTA

• 206 Evanston Circulator (school days only)

Pace

• 213 Green Bay Road (Monday–Saturday only)

Metra

• Evanston Main Street