Oakton-Skokie
8000N
4800W
4800W
Oakton-Skokie reopened on April 30, 2012 and is the first intermediate stop ever on the Skokie Swift (Yellow Line). The station is a reopening because a stop originally existed there from March 28, 1925 until March 27, 1948 when 'L' service along the Skokie Valley Route of the North Sore Interurban Line to Milwaukee was discontinued. The stop was reopened to provide train service to the center of the Skokie businesses district and does not provide any more parking. The station has a single island platform along the Yellow Line that is at a grade. The island platform that can accommodate 4 cars although 2 cars are the maximum that yellow line trains can presently operate. This is the second fewest number of cars on the CTA, Dempster/Skokie can only accommodate two cars, but accommodations have been made in the station's design to allow possible expansion to 8 (perhaps if rush hour direct express service to the loop is ever decided to be operated). The entire station has a unique rounded canopy covering all of it and both of the station entrances with light brown support beams holding up the canopy.
At each end of the platform is an entrance. Both of these are in narrow but long station houses with glass walls in red frames along each of the tracks. Inside are three turnstiles (one ADA width) and high turnstile entrance/exit turnstiles with the regular turnstiles designed to be closed off so each entrance has the possibility of being unstaffed (one entrance and set of regular turnstiles must always be left open for ADA reasons). There are also FVMs at each entrance.
Other than the design of the station houses each entrance is quite unique. At the southern end of the platform the station house is located directly at the end. After passing through it passengers go down a wide, (covered for about half its length) gentle ramp outside (with bike parking) to the middle of the grade crossing with Oakton Street. The northern exit is to Skokie Blvd/Searle Pkwy. It requires a long walk on a covered walkway beyond the end of the platform at the same level, designed to rebuilt into a platform extension should 6 or 8 car train operations ever be desired. Just before the station house, located between the tracks at grade level the walkway has a ramp down to it. After leaving fare control passengers cross the Dempster-bound track at a pedestrian grade crossing before reaching the west sidewalk of the Skokie Highway. Searle Parkway is the name of the next grade crossing north of the station about 200 feet from this exit.
All photos taken on 2 August, 2012
