Alone on the CTA

February 18, 2026

On the way in to work, I was looking at the CTA map that was posted in the train car. I know there’s construction going on at the State/Lake stop… but didn’t quite understand that it would be under construction until 2029.

I mean… I get that there’s a lot to do. The station/stop is over 130 years old, and handles multiple lines (Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple).

But three years? That’s hard to comprehend. And it turns out, there’s a whole website dedicated to the project.

An interesting side note: as I was taking this photo, I looked around and realized I was totally alone. No one else was in the train car with me, and it was a bit surreal.

Today was a regular day downtown. And heading around the Loop, the chances that I’d be on my own seemed… quite extraordinary. We went right back the State/Lake stop (naturally), but folks did get on at Clark/Lake. It was nice while it lasted.