Lombard (200W/900S)
Lombard Avenue and Harrison Street, Village of Oak Park

Service Notes:

Garfield Line

Quick Facts:

Address: TDB
Established: March 11, 1905
Original Line: Metropolitan West Side Elevated, Garfield Park branch
Previous Names: none

Skip-Stop Type:

Station

Rebuilt: n/a
Status: Demolished

History:

The Aurora Elgin & Chicago interurban began service from Aurora and Wheaton to a connection with the "L" at 52nd Avenue (Laramie) on August 25, 1902. Included on the AE&C's main line was a station at 62nd Avenue (Lombard). The AE&C's (later reorganized as the Chicago Aurora & Elgin) service to stations on this segment of their main line was short-lived, as the Metropolitan "L" assumed local service between 52nd Avenue and Desplaines Avenue on March 11, 1905, relieving the AE&C of this unwanted chore. The extension of Garfield Park service to Desplaines and the Met's servicing of the local stations between was part of the reciprocal trackage agreement that allowed the AE&C to extend to downtown Chicago and the Fifth Avenue Terminal over the Metropolitan Elevated.

The Lombard station was a simple facility located at ground level, as the Garfield Park line ran at-grade west of Cicero station. The station consisted of wooden dual side platforms with a fare control facility on the inbound platform.

During the 1950s, the City of Chicago and Cook County undertook construction of the Congress Superhighway [Eisenhower Expressway] along the general alignment of the Garfield Park "L" line. Part of the project also included the new new Congress "L" Line to replace the Garfield Park. Lombard closed on September 20, 1953. Lombard was not yet in the way of the construction project but was closed due to its low patronage to speed up service on the Garfield Line, which had slowed due to a temporary grade-level trackage along Van Buren between Sacramento and Aberdeen with multiple street crossings.

A replacement station entrance -- the Lombard entrance to Austin station -- was opened on the Congress Line on December 27, 1960.