Monroe station (CTA Blue Line)

Not to be confused with Monroe station (CTA Red Line).

Monroe is a subway station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Blue Line. It is located in the Chicago Loop, Chicago's downtown district.

Monroe   100S 36W
General information
Location	114 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60603
Coordinates	41.880703°N 87.629378°W / 41.880703; -87.629378
Owned by	City of Chicago
Line(s)	Milwaukee–Dearborn subway
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Subway
Depth	47 ft
Bicycle facilities	Yes
History
Opened	February 25, 1951; 74 years ago (1951-02-25)
Passengers
2024	1,103,491[1]  14.2%
Services
Preceding station Chicago "L" Following station Washington toward O'Hare  Blue Line Jackson toward Forest Park
Track layout Legend Dearborn St. Blue to O'Hare  Madison St. Monroe St. Marble Pl. Adams St. Blue to Forest Park
Location

History

Although the work on the station under Dearborn Street began in March 1939, the construction of the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and the station was suspended in 1942 because of wartime material shortages. Therefore, commuters had to wait ten years for the station to open. Monroe opened on February 25, 1951, fourteen years after being ordered by the Chicago Rapid Transit Company in 1937.

In 1969, the stairs to the northwest corner of Dearborn Street and Monroe Street were closed to allow the construction of the First National Bank Building and Plaza (renamed the Chase Tower) after the completion of a new entry was added in the lower level of the tower to the station. Monroe station was completely refurbished in 1982, but was not designed to be accessible to people with disabilities.

This is the central of the three stations on one long continuous platform underneath Dearborn Street, with the stops at Washington and Jackson being the other two.

Bus connections

CTA

• 22 Clark (Owl Service)
• 24 Wentworth (Weekdays only)
• 36 Broadway
• 62 Archer (Owl Service)
• 126 Jackson
• 151 Sheridan