Inside a tiled subway passageway, light blue and red accents curve along the walls, leading commuters toward the platform below. The design is distinctly retro, with polished tiles and fluorescent lighting evoking a mid-20th-century aesthetic found in older metro systems. The turn of the corridor reveals a glimpse of signage and station names, grounding the space in the everyday flow of city life.

A stairway leads down to the platform at the Chicago Transit Authority’s Grand Station on the Red Line. The tiled corridor—lined with blue ceramic panels and stainless-steel railings—reflects the late-20th-century design style common to CTA subway renovations, emphasizing functionality and durable materials. The bright fluorescent lighting and tiled curvature guide commuters from street level into the subterranean rail network that connects Chicago’s North Side, Loop, and South Side neighborhoods. The subtle skyline motif on the tiles pays homage to the city’s architectural identity while marking one of the Red Line’s busiest downtown access points.

Passengers purchase tickets inside the Grand/State train station in Chicago.

An illuminated stairway leads up to one of Chicago’s iconic “L” (elevated) train platforms in the Loop at night. The steel structure, marked with the system’s signature riveted beams, is part of the century-old elevated rail network that defines the city’s core transit identity. Below, a “Police Line – Do Not Cross” barricade and the quiet, empty street evoke a rare moment of stillness in an area usually dominated by the hum of trains and late-night traffic. This view highlights the utilitarian geometry and enduring presence of the Chicago Transit Authority’s elevated system, still serving as the backbone of the city’s rapid transit since the late 19th century.

An empty corridor of the Chicago Pedway connects the Randolph/Washington subway station to surrounding office buildings and shopping centers beneath the Loop. The Pedway system, developed beginning in the 1950s, extends for more than 40 city blocks, linking major transit lines with civic and commercial spaces. Its mid-century design—terrazzo floors, tiled walls, and fluorescent lighting—reflects the city’s practical approach to all-weather pedestrian infrastructure, a defining feature of downtown Chicago’s urban core.

The curved platform of a Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line station reveals the utilitarian design of the city’s subway infrastructure, part of the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway opened in 1951. The tunnel’s tiled blue panels and low arched ceiling reflect the postwar engineering era that brought rapid transit beneath the Loop and the West Side, connecting O’Hare International Airport to downtown. Despite its age, this corridor remains a vital artery in Chicago’s daily commuter network, a symbol of mid-century urban mobility still in constant motion beneath the city streets.

Randolph/Washington station sits beneath the heart of downtown Chicago, forming part of the CTA Red Line that runs through the State Street subway. Opened in 1943 as part of the city’s ambitious subway expansion, the station connects directly to the extensive Chicago Pedway system, linking offices, retail centers, and civic buildings underground. Its tiled vault and distinctive 1940s-era design remain largely intact, representing the Art Moderne phase of Chicago’s transit infrastructure.

The Chicago Transit Authority’s Sox–35th station serves the Red Line on the city’s South Side, positioned above the Dan Ryan Expressway near Pershing Road. The station provides direct access to Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, whose name can be seen across the pedestrian bridge in the background. Opened in 1969 as part of the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line, the elevated structure was designed for efficiency amid highway traffic, symbolizing mid-century Chicago’s integration of mass transit and freeway infrastructure.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) logo is displayed beneath the steel elevated tracks that define the Loop, the city’s central business district. The structure, part of the “L” system first built in the late 19th century, remains one of Chicago’s most enduring symbols of urban mobility. Overhead girders and riveted beams—many still original to the early 1900s—carry trains above streets lined with early skyscrapers and historic facades. The CTA continues to operate one of the largest and oldest public transit networks in the United States, moving more than a million riders daily through Chicago’s interconnected system of rail and bus lines.

Trains at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.

The O'Hare Train Station in Chicago.