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    1. Technology
    2. Miscellaneous

    CTA and CDA partner to add new signs and wayfinding elements

    Nov. 23, 2022
    The signs feature new, easy-to-read designs, placed at multiple locations to help customers — especially out-of-town visitors — get to and from the CTA Blue Line station.
    Related To: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
    CTA
    A new sign along the paths from O’Hare’s baggage claim areas
    A new sign along the paths from O’Hare’s baggage claim areas

    The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has partnered with the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to add new signs and wayfinding elements along the paths from O’Hare’s baggage claim areas in Terminals 1, 2 and 3 to the O’Hare subway station, which sits in the lower-level concourse between the main terminals, nearest Terminal 2.

    The signs feature new, easy-to-read designs, placed at multiple locations to help customers — especially out-of-town visitors — get to and from the CTA Blue Line station. These wayfinding upgrades are the first of their kind, using a bright, CTA “Blue Line Blue” and featuring the agency’s ‘L’ train icon, creating a new and more complete breadcrumb trail from the baggage claims to the trains.

    “Travelers now have clearer, more-defined directions to and from the Blue Line, which is the most affordable and typically the fastest way to travel between O’Hare and downtown,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr.

    "Wayfinding is one of most important aspects of the customer experience at O'Hare International Airport, and we were thrilled to partner with the CTA to make these improvements, so visitors can easily find a fast, affordable, environmentally-friendly ride into the city," said Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee of the CDA, which owns and operates both O'Hare and Midway International Airports. "This work with the CTA is one facet of an ongoing effort to reimagine wayfinding at our largest airport, led by a dedicated team of two dozen experts committed to instituting a first-class wayfinding experience."

    O’Hare is one of the busiest stations along the Blue Line, with more than 1.7 million customers entering the station so far this year, through the end of September.

    The new signage and wayfinding are the latest of several improvements CTA has made to the O’Hare station over the past few years. Crews replaced all the platform lighting with brighter, more energy-efficient LED fixtures; repaired and cleaned walls, ceilings and surfaces and digital screens were added, among other improvements.