The CTA celebrated 75 years since the opening of the State Street Subway—Chicago’s first underground rapid transit line—Wednesday, but technical issues derailed a train ride event open to the public.
According to the transit’s site, the 4.9-mile subway first opened to the public on Oct. 17, 1943, to provide “fast comfortable service with modern, streamlined station designs featuring a number of amenities not common yet in other cities' subways to make it a pleasant experience for Chicagoans.”
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the revolutionary historic transportation system in Chicago, the CTA had scheduled a self-guided “subway crawl” tour of historic photos, along with the opportunity for visitors to witness and ride an approximately 90-year-old train (not in regular service).
Due to mechanical issues however, the CTA issued various statements saying they were unable to run the highly-anticipated 4000-series train.
“Though we thoroughly test and check the train before running it, occasionally issues do occur,” said a CTA spokeswoman. “We sincerely apologize to our riders for the inconvenience, and appreciate their understanding. We share their disappointment, and we will look for future opportunities to bring out these 1923 rail cars.”
For more information on its history and/or future train rides event information, click here.
