Gate
Chinatown Gate · Wentworth Avenue
A short trip outside once you reach the street. The Gate is the neighborhood’s landmark, and the sidewalks can be crowded.
Better for the Gate · time outside in Chinatown
Cermak-Chinatown
Planned for wheelchair riders
Red Line station named for Chinatown. The elevators take you to Cermak Road. From there it’s a short trip outside to the Chinatown Gate and Wentworth Avenue.
Written for riders who need an accessible Red Line station to reach Chinatown.
- Red
Station 41000
- Elevators
- 2 · Street ↔ platform
- Escalators
- Not a substitute for elevators
- After the elevator
- Wentworth Avenue sidewalk
Why this stop exists
Cermak Road · Chinatown Gate / Wentworth Avenue
An accessible Red Line station. Until you reach the Cermak Road sidewalk, the trip depends on the elevator.
Disability & mobility
Accessible Red Line. Chinatown next.
Cermak-Chinatown is marked wheelchair-accessible. The Chinatown Gate and Wentworth Avenue are a short trip outside. You can only start that trip if the station elevators are working.
Wall
Nine-Dragon Wall
Another outdoor landmark in the same neighborhood. The paving is mostly flat, but expect weather and tourist crowds.
Better for Nine-Dragon Wall
At Cermak-Chinatown, “accessible” means you can get from the Red Line to the street. Wentworth Avenue is still a trip outside on neighborhood sidewalks.
If the Cermak-Chinatown elevators are out, check our live map before you ride the Red Line past Roosevelt. Chicago Transit Authority elevator alerts: transitchicago.com/alerts/elevators.
On the ground
What the trip actually feels like
Three steps: the elevator, Cermak Road, the Chinatown Gate.
01
Check the elevators before you board
This is an accessible station. Still, check that the elevators are working before you count on reaching Chinatown.
02
A short trip outside to Wentworth Avenue
The Gate is close once you leave the station, but weather still matters.
03
The neighborhood takes over
Shops and sidewalks belong to the neighborhood, not the Chicago Transit Authority.
Why this stop feels like this
A Red Line station named after its neighborhood
- ChinatownNeighborhood along Wentworth Avenue
- Red LineAccessible station
- GateLandmark a short trip outside
- TodayElevator, then the sidewalk
Cermak-Chinatown exists for neighborhood trips. Whether you can make one depends on the elevators.
The station lets Red Line riders reach Chinatown with a short trip outside from an accessible station, instead of a long route from Roosevelt.
Before you board, decide where you’re heading (the Gate or the Nine-Dragon Wall). If an elevator is out, change plans; don’t treat it as a small delay.
On the street
Where you'll come out
Cermak-Chinatown station
Cermak Road · Chinatown
Chicago, Illinois
Cermak Road elevators · outside to Chinatown
Red
Nearby when the elevators work: Chinatown Gate, Nine-Dragon Wall, Wentworth Avenue sidewalks. When they don’t: don’t assume the route from Roosevelt is as short.
Open Cermak-Chinatown on the live mapLive elevator status at Cermak-ChinatownAfter the elevator
Travel time from this station
Sorted shortest first. Times are hand-set for a chair or stroller pace after you clear the elevators — not live routing.
Last look
Before you go
Four things to check before you go.
Check the map
Make sure the Cermak-Chinatown elevators are working before you ride the Red Line.
Pick where you’re going
The Gate or the Nine-Dragon Wall. Same station, different time outside.
Plan for sidewalk crowds
Weekend crowds are part of the route.
Verify destination access
Shops and restaurants handle their own access. Our map covers the station elevators.
About this guide. We put these guides together by hand. Travel times are our own estimates, and venue details are copied from their websites, so either can be wrong or out of date. Check the venue’s page before you go. For elevators, trust the live map and the transit agency.