Chicago Transit Authority announces repairs to Blue and Red Line
July 11, 2007
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) riders on the subway portions of the Red and Blue lines may see relief of the slow zone in the coming months. So-called "slow zones" are locations where trains travel at restricted speeds because of track work or deteriorating conditions.
The CTA is putting nearly US$15 millions towards renovation of the O'Hare to Clark/Lake portion of the Blue Line and Chicago to Belmont portions of the Red Line. Work will happen during off peak and overnight hours. The CTA says that one track operations and delays may occur.
"We have heard our customers' frustration with slow zones and today we are acting to address their concerns,” said Chicago Transit Board chairperson Carole Brown. "I am pleased that we are able to leverage existing contracts to begin this work and I look forward to working with state lawmakers to increase transit investment to bring our entire system to a state of good repair."
Sources
Jon Hilkevitch "CTA To Tackles Slow Zones". Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2007
Press Release: "CTA to Tackle Red and Blue Line Slow Zones". Chicago Transit Authority, July 11, 2007
Ward 49 of the City of Chicago includes most of Rogers Park and parts of West Ridge.
Showing posts with label Chicago Transit Authority. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago Transit Authority. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Granville El Station
Granville El Station
Granville is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, part of the Chicago 'L' metro system. It is located at 1119 West Granville Avenue in Chicago, Illinois (directional coordinates 6200 north, 1200 west). It is in the Edgewater neighborhood, close to the Rogers Park border.
Granville Station was opened as North Edgewater Station in 1908. The station was rebuilt in 1921, and the name was changed to Granville. The present station dates to 1980 when an escalator & elevator were added.
A police station, jointly administered by Loyola University Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Police Department was opened outside the Granville station on March 13, 2006. [1]
Bus Connections
CTA Buses
External links
Granville at Chicago-'L'.org
Train schedule (PDF) at CTA official site
Granville is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, part of the Chicago 'L' metro system. It is located at 1119 West Granville Avenue in Chicago, Illinois (directional coordinates 6200 north, 1200 west). It is in the Edgewater neighborhood, close to the Rogers Park border.
Granville Station was opened as North Edgewater Station in 1908. The station was rebuilt in 1921, and the name was changed to Granville. The present station dates to 1980 when an escalator & elevator were added.
A police station, jointly administered by Loyola University Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, and the Chicago Police Department was opened outside the Granville station on March 13, 2006. [1]
Bus Connections
CTA Buses
- #36 Broadway
- #N201 Central/Sherman
External links
Granville at Chicago-'L'.org
Train schedule (PDF) at CTA official site
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Red Line
Red Line
The Red Line (Howard-Dan Ryan Service) is a heavy rail line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Chicago 'L' system. It is CTA's busiest rail line, serving more than 213,800 passengers each weekday. The route is 23.4 miles long with a total of 34 stations, from Rogers Park (Howard Street) on the City Limits north, through downtown Chicago, and to Roseland (95th/Dan Ryan) on the south.
Route
North Side Mainline
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago (7600 N. - 1700 W.), on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood Avenue to Morse station. From there the route swings on a sweeping reverse curve to the east to Sheridan Road, adjacent to Loyola University Chicago and continues southerly parallel to Broadway Avenue to the east and follows Broadway to Leland Avenue. From here, the route transitions from concrete embankment to steel elevated structure. The 'L' continues southward running adjacent the Graceland Cemetery, Irving Park Road and Sheffield Avenue from Uptown to Lincoln Park. The Brown Line (Ravenswood) joins the Red Line tracks just north of the Belmont Avenue station.
South of Belmont, Red and Brown Line trains run side-by-side on the four track North Side 'L' to Armitage Avenue.
Clybourn-Division-State Subway
At Armitage, the Red Line descends to a portal at Willow Street and becomes a subway route, turning southeast in Clybourn Avenue, east in Division Street, and south in State Street through the Loop to Roosevelt Road. South of Roosevelt Road, there is a junction, with one pair of tracks curving to the east and leaving the subway at 13th Street and connects to the old South Side 'L' near 16th and State Streets. This section was used between October, 1943 and February, 1993 when North Side trains were routed to Englewood and Jackson Park. It is now used for non-service train moves and emergency purposes.
From the Red Line, passengers can directly transfer to any other Chicago 'L' line. This is unique to it and the Purple Line, when the Purple Line runs its rush hour route.
Dan Ryan Branch
Back at 13th Street the subway swings away from State Street on a reverse curve to the southwest then rises to another portal near 18th Street adjacent Metra's Rock Island District commuter railroad line. The Red Line bridges 18th Street and continues southward on a steel column pan concrete deck elevated structure to 24th Street. The Cermak-Chinatown station is in this section.
South of Cermak Road, the Red Line tracks run along the median strip of the Franklin Street Connector, the planned, but never-completed downtown feeder branch of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The Red Line then tunnels beneath the expressway interchange between 28th and 30th Streets and continues southward now occupying the median strip of the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 90 & 94). The Red Line follows the Dan Ryan the rest of the way to the 95th Street terminal (9500 S. - 1 W.) in Roseland. The 98th Street Yard and Carhouse lie just south and east of the Dan Ryan-Bishop Ford Expressway interchange. Beyond the interchange, the Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford expressways continue towards the City's Limits south without a transit line in the median strip, but with a grass median occupying space where provisions were made (when they were being built) for future rapid transit extensions of the Red Line.
Stations along the Red Line serve important Chicago landmarks such as Wrigley Field (Addison), U.S. Cellular Field (Sox-35th), DePaul University (Fullerton), the Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University, and Loyola University Chicago (Loyola), as well as the Magnificent Mile and Chinatown.
Operating Fleet
Currently, only Budd-built 2600-Series rail cars equip the Red Line. Like the Blue Line, the Red Line runs 24 hours a day. Service has a 4 to 6 minute headway during peak periods with 8-car trains, and a 15 minute headway during the early morning hours with 4 to 8 car trains.
History
The Red Line was created in 1993 when the CTA adopted color-coded nomenclature for all of its 'L' routes. The oldest section of the route opened on May 31, 1900 on the north side between Wilson and Broadway Avenues and the Loop. It was constructed by the Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company. The route was extended to Central Street in Evanston on May 16, 1908 via leased and electrified steam railroad trackage, and to Linden Avenue in Wilmette on April 2, 1912. In November, 1913, the North Side 'L' was through routed with the South Side 'L' lines through the Union Loop. The ground-level section between Leland Avenue and Howard Street was elevated on a concrete embankment structure and expanded to four tracks in 1922.
The Clybourn-Division-State Subway was completed in 1943 providing two new tracks bypassing the portion of the North and South Side 'L' lines not equipped express tracks. By providing an express route free of the most restrictive curves on the Chicago 'L' and shorter than the old line it supplemented (thanks to use of a diagonal street, Clybourn Avenue, for one leg of the route), the subway reduced running time by as much as 11 minutes for a one-way trip. The route was placed in operation October 17, 1943, for a portion of the through north-south trains although other trains continued to use the 'L' both on through trips and on services circling the Loop and returning to the point of origin.
On July 31, 1949, the North-South route was revised to create a more efficient routing through the Central Business District and handle the heavy volumes of passenger traffic using it. Thus, the Howard line was combined with the Jackson Park-Englewood lines through the State Street Subway, and the other lines routed to the Loop 'L'.
The Dan Ryan Branch was opened September 28, 1969, and was originally combined with the Lake Street line to form the West-South route (Lake-Dan Ryan). It operated over the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue sides of the Union Loop. This "interim" service was created mainly for the purpose of providing through service between the west side and the south side in anticipation of the 1968 Loop Subway Project. When the controversial subway project was cancelled in 1979, the Lake-Dan Ryan service remained, and lasted for nearly 24 years.
For much of the twentieth century, the Howard-Englewood/Jackson Park route was equally compatible in terms of passenger traffic until the late 1960's through the 1970's. However, passenger traffic volumes began to shift on the south side lines, with more riders using the newer Dan Ryan line (which runs four miles further south) and fewer riders on the older 'L' lines. This imbalance of service allowed the CTA to develop a more efficient system by combining the more heavily used rail lines together, and the weaker lines with each other, providing increased service capacity for the routes that need it. Thus, on February 21, 1993 the Howard branch was combined with the Dan Ryan branch creating the present Red Line, and the Lake Street branch was paired with the Englewood-Jackson Park routes to form the Green Line. A further operational benefit of this switch was that there was now additional available capacity on the Loop 'L', which was required for the soon-to-open Orange Line.
The Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line underwent a rehabilitation period to improve its aging infratsructure which ended in early 2007. [1] This work included upgrading the power and signal systems, and rehabilitating the stations with improved lighting, a cleaner appearance, and new escalators and elevators. The CTA has plans to expand Red Line to 10-car trains from the current eight-car trains[1].
Dan Ryan Extension
Proposals are currently underway to extend the Red Line south from 95th Street. The CTA has developed nine different proposed routes, one of which includes routing the Red Line down the median of the Bishop Ford Expressway. At an alternatives analysis meeting on April 11th, 2007, CTA recommended narrowing further study down to three possible routes for consideration, none of which includes the Bishop Ford proposal. [2].
See also
Chicago 'L'
List of Chicago El stations
External links
Red Line at Chicago-'L'.org
Train schedules at CTA official site
The Red Line (Howard-Dan Ryan Service) is a heavy rail line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Chicago 'L' system. It is CTA's busiest rail line, serving more than 213,800 passengers each weekday. The route is 23.4 miles long with a total of 34 stations, from Rogers Park (Howard Street) on the City Limits north, through downtown Chicago, and to Roseland (95th/Dan Ryan) on the south.
Route
North Side Mainline
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago (7600 N. - 1700 W.), on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood Avenue to Morse station. From there the route swings on a sweeping reverse curve to the east to Sheridan Road, adjacent to Loyola University Chicago and continues southerly parallel to Broadway Avenue to the east and follows Broadway to Leland Avenue. From here, the route transitions from concrete embankment to steel elevated structure. The 'L' continues southward running adjacent the Graceland Cemetery, Irving Park Road and Sheffield Avenue from Uptown to Lincoln Park. The Brown Line (Ravenswood) joins the Red Line tracks just north of the Belmont Avenue station.
South of Belmont, Red and Brown Line trains run side-by-side on the four track North Side 'L' to Armitage Avenue.
Clybourn-Division-State Subway
At Armitage, the Red Line descends to a portal at Willow Street and becomes a subway route, turning southeast in Clybourn Avenue, east in Division Street, and south in State Street through the Loop to Roosevelt Road. South of Roosevelt Road, there is a junction, with one pair of tracks curving to the east and leaving the subway at 13th Street and connects to the old South Side 'L' near 16th and State Streets. This section was used between October, 1943 and February, 1993 when North Side trains were routed to Englewood and Jackson Park. It is now used for non-service train moves and emergency purposes.
From the Red Line, passengers can directly transfer to any other Chicago 'L' line. This is unique to it and the Purple Line, when the Purple Line runs its rush hour route.
Dan Ryan Branch
Back at 13th Street the subway swings away from State Street on a reverse curve to the southwest then rises to another portal near 18th Street adjacent Metra's Rock Island District commuter railroad line. The Red Line bridges 18th Street and continues southward on a steel column pan concrete deck elevated structure to 24th Street. The Cermak-Chinatown station is in this section.
South of Cermak Road, the Red Line tracks run along the median strip of the Franklin Street Connector, the planned, but never-completed downtown feeder branch of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The Red Line then tunnels beneath the expressway interchange between 28th and 30th Streets and continues southward now occupying the median strip of the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 90 & 94). The Red Line follows the Dan Ryan the rest of the way to the 95th Street terminal (9500 S. - 1 W.) in Roseland. The 98th Street Yard and Carhouse lie just south and east of the Dan Ryan-Bishop Ford Expressway interchange. Beyond the interchange, the Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford expressways continue towards the City's Limits south without a transit line in the median strip, but with a grass median occupying space where provisions were made (when they were being built) for future rapid transit extensions of the Red Line.
Stations along the Red Line serve important Chicago landmarks such as Wrigley Field (Addison), U.S. Cellular Field (Sox-35th), DePaul University (Fullerton), the Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University, and Loyola University Chicago (Loyola), as well as the Magnificent Mile and Chinatown.
Operating Fleet
Currently, only Budd-built 2600-Series rail cars equip the Red Line. Like the Blue Line, the Red Line runs 24 hours a day. Service has a 4 to 6 minute headway during peak periods with 8-car trains, and a 15 minute headway during the early morning hours with 4 to 8 car trains.
History
The Red Line was created in 1993 when the CTA adopted color-coded nomenclature for all of its 'L' routes. The oldest section of the route opened on May 31, 1900 on the north side between Wilson and Broadway Avenues and the Loop. It was constructed by the Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company. The route was extended to Central Street in Evanston on May 16, 1908 via leased and electrified steam railroad trackage, and to Linden Avenue in Wilmette on April 2, 1912. In November, 1913, the North Side 'L' was through routed with the South Side 'L' lines through the Union Loop. The ground-level section between Leland Avenue and Howard Street was elevated on a concrete embankment structure and expanded to four tracks in 1922.
The Clybourn-Division-State Subway was completed in 1943 providing two new tracks bypassing the portion of the North and South Side 'L' lines not equipped express tracks. By providing an express route free of the most restrictive curves on the Chicago 'L' and shorter than the old line it supplemented (thanks to use of a diagonal street, Clybourn Avenue, for one leg of the route), the subway reduced running time by as much as 11 minutes for a one-way trip. The route was placed in operation October 17, 1943, for a portion of the through north-south trains although other trains continued to use the 'L' both on through trips and on services circling the Loop and returning to the point of origin.
On July 31, 1949, the North-South route was revised to create a more efficient routing through the Central Business District and handle the heavy volumes of passenger traffic using it. Thus, the Howard line was combined with the Jackson Park-Englewood lines through the State Street Subway, and the other lines routed to the Loop 'L'.
The Dan Ryan Branch was opened September 28, 1969, and was originally combined with the Lake Street line to form the West-South route (Lake-Dan Ryan). It operated over the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue sides of the Union Loop. This "interim" service was created mainly for the purpose of providing through service between the west side and the south side in anticipation of the 1968 Loop Subway Project. When the controversial subway project was cancelled in 1979, the Lake-Dan Ryan service remained, and lasted for nearly 24 years.
For much of the twentieth century, the Howard-Englewood/Jackson Park route was equally compatible in terms of passenger traffic until the late 1960's through the 1970's. However, passenger traffic volumes began to shift on the south side lines, with more riders using the newer Dan Ryan line (which runs four miles further south) and fewer riders on the older 'L' lines. This imbalance of service allowed the CTA to develop a more efficient system by combining the more heavily used rail lines together, and the weaker lines with each other, providing increased service capacity for the routes that need it. Thus, on February 21, 1993 the Howard branch was combined with the Dan Ryan branch creating the present Red Line, and the Lake Street branch was paired with the Englewood-Jackson Park routes to form the Green Line. A further operational benefit of this switch was that there was now additional available capacity on the Loop 'L', which was required for the soon-to-open Orange Line.
The Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line underwent a rehabilitation period to improve its aging infratsructure which ended in early 2007. [1] This work included upgrading the power and signal systems, and rehabilitating the stations with improved lighting, a cleaner appearance, and new escalators and elevators. The CTA has plans to expand Red Line to 10-car trains from the current eight-car trains[1].
Dan Ryan Extension
Proposals are currently underway to extend the Red Line south from 95th Street. The CTA has developed nine different proposed routes, one of which includes routing the Red Line down the median of the Bishop Ford Expressway. At an alternatives analysis meeting on April 11th, 2007, CTA recommended narrowing further study down to three possible routes for consideration, none of which includes the Bishop Ford proposal. [2].
See also
Chicago 'L'
List of Chicago El stations
External links
Red Line at Chicago-'L'.org
Train schedules at CTA official site
Chicago 'L'
Chicago 'L'
The 'L',[1] variously, and sometimes, styled "L", El, EL, or L, is the rapid transit system that serves Chicago in the United States.
It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). It has been credited with helping create the densely built-up downtown that is one of Chicago's distinguishing features.[2]
Description
The 'L' consists of a network of eight rapid transit lines totalling 106.1 route miles (57.1 miles elevated, 36.9 miles (59 km) surface, and 12.1 miles (19 km) subway) on over 242.6 miles (390 km) of double-track rail line with 144 stations. The oldest section dates from 1892. The 'L' primarily serves the city proper plus eight close-in suburbs; service to more distant suburbs is provided by the Metra and South Shore Line (NICTD) commuter rail systems. Seventeen stations, mainly newer or at outlying locations, include park and ride facilities with a total of more than 6,600 parking spaces. About 15% of the total track length is underground.
The rail network is laid out in a spoke-hub distribution paradigm, which focuses transit toward the central loop. Inter-suburban travel requires indirect commute to the loop and transfer to another line. The CTA has proposed a 'Circle Line' to help remedy this problem.
The 'L' is the third busiest rail mass transit system in the United States, behind New York City's New York City Subway, and Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail; and by age is the third oldest rapid transit system in the Americas after New York (The oldest operating elevated sections date to the 1880s) and Boston (1898). [3]
It is one of the few rapid transit systems in North America providing 24-hour service, though only on the two busiest lines.[4] On average 658,524 people ride the 'L' each weekday, 419,258 each Saturday, and 315,240 each Sunday.[5] Annual ridership for 2006 was 195.2 million, the highest since 1993.[6].[7]
Although the 'L' gained its nickname because large parts of the system are elevated,[8] the Red and Blue lines traverse the downtown area in subways, and also have long sections in the medians of expressways that lead into and out of Chicago. Chicago pioneered the use of the expressway median for rail lines in the 1950s. There are also open-cut and/or grade-level portions (with street crossings) on some parts of the system.
Noisy and at times slow and overwhelmingly crowded, the 'L' has nonetheless become one of the symbols of the city it serves. In a 2005 poll, Chicago Tribune readers voted it one of the "seven wonders of Chicago," [9] behind the lakefront and Wrigley Field but ahead of Sears Tower, the Water Tower, the University of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry.
Lines
Chicago's rapid transit system currently consists of eight principal routes. Since 1993 'L' lines have been identified by color,[10] although older route names survive to some extent in CTA publications and popular usage to distinguish branches of longer lines:
Red Line
Red Line, consisting of the Howard and Dan Ryan branches, the Red Line is the busiest 'L' route, serving approximately 230,434 passengers each weekday.[11] It includes 34 stations on its 21.8-mile (35 km) route, traveling from Howard Street terminal on the city's northern border with Evanston, through downtown Chicago via the State Street subway, then down the Dan Ryan Expressway median to 95th Street on the Far South Side. Despite its length, the Red Line stops five miles short of the city's southern border and there are intermittent pleas to extend it.
The Red Line is one of two 'L' lines operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Blue Line
Blue Line, consisting of the O'Hare, Congress, and Douglas branches, extends from O'Hare International Airport through the Loop via the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress subway to the West Side. Most Blue Line trains travel to Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park via the Eisenhower Expressway median, but during rush hour some trains operate between O'Hare and 54/Cermak in Cicero via the Douglas branch. (Most service to 54/Cermak is provided by the Pink Line; see below.) The route from O'Hare to Des Plaines Avenue is 26.93 miles (43 km) long, and the route from O'Hare to 54th St. is 24.23 miles (39 km) long. The combined number of stations is 44. Until 1970, the northern section of the Blue Line terminated at Logan Square, during which time it was called the Milwaukee route after the parallel street; in that year service was extended to Jefferson Park via the Kennedy Expressway median, and in 1984 to O'Hare. The Blue Line is the CTA's second busiest, with 128,343 weekday boardings. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Brown Line
The Brown Line, or Ravenswood, follows an 11.4-mile (18 km) route, with 19 stations between Kimball Avenue in Albany Park and the Loop in downtown Chicago. The Brown Line has an average weekday ridership of 66,000. [12]
Green Line
Green Line, consisting of the Lake Street and Englewood-Jackson Park branches, is a completely elevated route utilizing the system's oldest segments (dating back to 1892), the Green Line extends 20.8 miles (30 km) with 29 stops between Forest Park and Oak Park (Harlem/Lake), through Chicago's Loop, to the South Side. South of the Garfield station the line branches, with trains alternately heading to Ashland/63rd in Englewood and Cottage Grove/63rd in Woodlawn. The East 63rd branch formerly extended to Jackson Park, but the portion east of Cottage Grove, which ran above 63rd Street, was demolished in stages in the 1980s and 1990s due to structural problems and then not replaced due to community demands. The average number of weekday boardings is 39,685.
Orange Line
Orange Line or Midway, The 13-mile (21 km) long Orange Line was constructed in the early 1990s on existing railroad embankments and new concrete and steel elevated structure. It runs from Chicago Midway International Airport on the Southwest Side to the Loop in downtown Chicago. Average weekday ridership is 30,111.
Pink Line
The Pink Line is an 11.2-mile (18 km) trial rerouting of former Blue Line Douglas Park branch trains from Cicero (54/Cermak) via the previously non-revenue Paulina Connector and the Green Line on Lake Street to the Loop. Its average weekday ridership is 13,461.
Purple Line
Purple Line, or Evanston, Evanston Express is a 3.9-mile (6 km) branch serving north suburban Evanston and Wilmette with express service to the Loop during rush hour. The local service operates from the Wilmette terminal at Linden Avenue through Evanston to the Howard Street terminal where it connects with the Red and Yellow lines. The rush hour express service continues from Howard to the Loop, running nonstop on the four-track line used by the Red Line to Belmont station, then serving all Brown Line stops to the Loop. Average weekday ridership is 9,956, although this does not count boardings from Belmont south, which are included in Red and Brown line statistics. The stops from Belmont to Chicago Avenue were added in the 1990s to relieve crowding on the Red and Brown lines.[13]
Yellow Line
Yellow Line, or Skokie Swift is a 4.7-mile (8 km) nonstop shuttle that runs from the Howard Street terminal to Dempster Street terminal in suburban Skokie. The Yellow Line is the only 'L' route that does not provide direct service to the Loop or run on weekends. This line was originally part of the North Shore Electric commuter rail service, and was acquired by the CTA in the 1960's. There are currently plans to construct an infill station at Oakton Street to serve downtown Skokie. Upon completion (expected in 2008 or 2009), this will signal the end of over 40 years of the Skokie Swift operating as a non-stop shuttle. At present, its average weekday ridership is 2,651.
History
The first 'L' began revenue service on June 6, 1892, when a small steam locomotive pulling four wooden coaches with 30 passengers left the 39th Street station of the Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad and arrived at Congress Street 14 minutes later over tracks still used today by the Green Line.[14]
The following year service was extended to 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, then the entrance to the popular World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. Later in 1893 trains began running on the Lake Street Elevated and in 1895 on the Metropolitan West Side Elevated, which consisted of the Douglas Park, Garfield Park (since replaced), Humboldt Park (since demolished), and Milwaukee lines (see map). The Metropolitan was the world's first non-exhibition rapid transit system powered by electric traction motors, a technology whose practicality had been previously demonstrated on the "intramural railway" at the world's fair.
Two years later the South Side 'L' introduced multiple-unit control, in which several or all the cars in a train are motorized and under the control of the operator, not just the lead unit. Electrification and m.u. control remain standard features of most of the world's rapid transit systems.
A drawback of early 'L' service was that none of the lines entered the central business district. Instead trains dropped passengers at stub terminals on the periphery due to a state law requiring approval by neighboring property owners for tracks built over public streets, something not easily obtained downtown.
This obstacle was overcome by the legendary traction magnate Charles Tyson Yerkes, who went on to play a pivotal role in the development of the London Underground and was immortalized by Theodore Dreiser as the ruthless schemer Frank Cowperwood in The Titan (1914) and other novels. Yerkes, who controlled much of the city's streetcar system, obtained the necessary signatures through cash and guile —– at one point he secured a franchise to build a mile-long 'L' over Van Buren Street from Wabash Avenue to Halsted Street, extracting the requisite majority from the pliable owners on the western half of the route, then building tracks chiefly over the eastern half, where property owners had opposed him.
The Union Loop opened in 1897, greatly increasing the rapid transit system's convenience but at the cost of noisy, obstructed streets, a fact of life in downtown Chicago to this day. Operation on the Yerkes-owned Northwestern Elevated, which built the North Side 'L' lines, began three years later, essentially completing the elevated infrastructure in the urban core although extensions and branches continued to be constructed in outlying areas through the 1920s.
Rarely profitable, the 'L' lines after 1911 came under the control of Samuel Insull, president of the Chicago Edison electric utility (now Commonwealth Edison), whose interest stemmed initially from the fact that the trains were the city's largest consumer of electricity. Insull instituted many improvements, including free transfers and through routing, although he did not formally combine the original firms into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company until 1924. He also bought three other Chicago electrified railroads, the North Shore, Aurora and Elgin, and South Shore interurban lines, and ran the trains of the first two into downtown Chicago via the 'L' tracks. This period of relative prosperity ended when Insull's empire collapsed in 1932, but later in the decade the city with the help of the federal government accumulated sufficient funds to begin construction of two subway lines to supplement and, some hoped, permit eventual replacement of the Loop elevated.
The State Street subway was completed in 1943; the Dearborn subway, work on which was suspended during World War II, opened in 1951. The subways bypassed a number of tight curves and circuitous routings on the original elevated lines (Milwaukee trains, for example, originated on Chicago's northwest side but entered the Loop at the southwest corner), speeding service for many riders.
By the 1940s the financial condition of the 'L,' and of Chicago mass transit in general, had become too precarious to permit continued private operation, and the necessary steps were taken to enable public takeover. In 1947 the Chicago Transit Authority acquired the assets of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines, operator of the city's streetcars. Over the next few years the CTA modernized the 'L,' replacing antiquated wooden cars with new steel ones and closing lightly used branch lines and stations, many of which had been spaced only a quarter mile apart.
The first air-conditioned cars were introduced in 1964 and the last pre-World War II cars retired in 1973. New lines were built in expressway medians, the Congress branch replacing the Garfield Park 'L' in 1958 and the Dan Ryan branch opening in 1969, followed by the first Kennedy Expressway extension in 1970.
The 'L' today
'L' ridership has increased steadily in recent years after catastrophic losses in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ridership had been remarkably stable for nearly 40 years after the CTA takeover despite declining mass transit usage nationwide, with an average of 594,000 riders boarding each weekday in 1960[15] and 577,000 in 1985. Thereafter, however, ridership dropped sharply, bottoming out at 418,000 in 1992,[16] when the Loop Flood forced the CTA to suspend operation for several weeks in the State and Dearborn subways, used by the most heavily traveled lines.
Overall traffic volume has since recovered, although growth has not been uniformly distributed, with usage of North Side lines generally up, often dramatically so, while that of West and South Side lines is flat or declining. Ridership on the Brown Line, for instance, has increased 83% since 1979, necessitating the station reconstruction project currently underway to accommodate longer trains.[17]
Annual traffic on the Howard branch of the Red Line, which reached 35 million in 2005, is approaching the 1927 prewar peak of 38.5 million.[18] The section of the Blue Line between the Loop and Logan Square, which serves once-neglected but now bustling neighborhoods such as Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Palmer Square, has seen a 54% increase in weekday riders since 1992. On the other hand, weekday ridership on the South Side portion of the Green Line, which closed for two years for reconstruction starting in 1994, was 50,400 in 1978 but only 13,000 in 2006. Boardings at the 95/Dan Ryan stop on the Red Line, though still the system's busiest at 14,100 riders per weekday, are a little over half the peak volume in the 1980s. In 1976, three North Side 'L' branches - what were then known as the Howard, Milwaukee, and Ravenswood lines − accounted for 42% of non-downtown boardings. Today (with the help of the Blue Line extension to O'Hare), they account for 58%.
The North Side (which has historically been the highest density area of the city) skew no doubt reflects the Chicago building boom of the past decade, which has focused primarily on North Side neighborhoods and downtown[19]. It may ease somewhat in the wake of the current high level of residential construction along the south lakefront. For example, ridership at the linked Roosevelt stops on the Green, Orange, and Red Lines,[20] which serve the burgeoning South Loop neighborhood, has tripled since 1992, with an average of 8,000 boardings per weekday. Patronage at the Cermak-Chinatown stop on the Red Line (4,000 weekday boardings) is at the highest level since the station opened in 1969. The 2003 Chicago Central Area Plan has proposed construction of a Green Line station at Cermak, midway between Chinatown and the McCormick Place convention center, in expectation of continued growth in the vicinity.
Iconic of Chicago though it may be, the 'L' is not the city's predominant form of mass transit. As of mid-2006 it accounted for just 36% of the CTA's 1.48 million weekday riders, the remainder traveling on the agency's extensive bus network. The rail system's rider share has increased over time, however. In 1926, the year of peak prewar rail usage, the 'L' carried 229 million passengers – seemingly a formidable number, but less than 20% of the 1.16 billion Chicago transit patrons that year, most of whom rode streetcars.[21] The shift to rail has continued in recent times. Since its low point in 1992 (due to the Chicago Flood that closed subway tunnels in the downtown area), weekday 'L' ridership has increased about 25%, while bus ridership has decreased by roughly a sixth.[22]
Rolling stock
The Chicago Transit Authority owns 1190 train cars, permanently coupled into 595 married pairs. Cars are assigned to different lines, and each line contains at most two different series of train cars. The oldest cars in the 'L', the 2200 series, were built in 1969, and the newest, the 3200 series, were built in 1992. The newest series of train cars, the 5000 series[23] , are expected to begin service sometime in 2010. All cars on the system utilize 600 volt direct current power delivered through a third rail, though plans are in the works to convert the system to alternating current.
Renovation and expansion plans
Keeping a century-old rail system in good repair has proven to be a daunting task. Some of the oldest sections of the 'L' have required wholesale reconstruction at great expense, with accompanying service disruptions and ridership losses that have yet to be recouped. In 1994 the CTA closed the Green Line for a two-year rebuilding program that ultimately cost $406 million, arguing that a shutdown would save time and money. Ten years after reopening the line has not regained the low level of ridership it had in 1992, with 13 of the 23 non-downtown stations serving fewer than 1,500 riders per weekday.[24] The CTA kept trains running during the $482 million rehabilitation of the Douglas branch of the Blue Line (now the Pink Line), but ridership dropped substantially during the 40-month project, which was completed in 2005. Traffic remains low (although climbing) today, with six of the 11 stations boarding fewer than 1,000 passengers per weekday.
More difficulties lie ahead. As of August 2006, 18% of 'L' trackage lay in "slow zones," in which trains must operate at reduced speed due to deteriorated track, structure, or other problems.[25] The line in worst condition is the busiest, the Red Line, with 36% in slow zones, including nearly half of the State Street subway. Trains on the Blue Line, the second busiest route, must operate at reduced speed for 25% of the line's length. Work to repair the blue line's tracks began July 2007 and is expected to complete by December 2008.
Red & Brown Line Renovations
Two major rehabilitation projects are currently underway – a $283 million renovation of the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line, including station renewal, trackwork and other system upgrades;[26] and a $530 million rehabilitation and capacity-expansion program for the Brown Line, which has been largely untouched since the first decade of the twentieth century. The Brown Line Capacity Expansion plan will extend station platform lengths to support 8-car trains and make all stations fully accessible. Work on the Brown Line project began on February 20, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009.[27]
Not withstanding the challenges it faces in keeping the existing 'L' system running, the CTA is exploring opportunities for new service. The most ambitious project is the Circle Line, a new 'L' route that would form a large circle around the Loop and would directly connect the CTA to various Metra rail lines in ways currently impossible in the downtown area, given the distance between the western Metra stations and the Loop elevated rail.[28] Aside from making Metra-CTA transfers more feasible, intra-CTA transfers would become more numerous, and allowing transfers outside of the downtown area would significantly decrease travel times throughout the system.
The Circle Line project is currently undergoing a federally mandated Alternatives Analysis Study, which has technically not yet ruled out the possibility of implementing the Circle Line as a bus rapid transit system, rather than a rail addition.[29]
In September 2006, as part of this Alternatives Analysis Study, the CTA narrowed the possible train routes to two, referred to as Ashland and Ashland-Ogden, both of which rely largely on existing track.[30] The two are quite similar, differing only in the northwest section of the circle. Both would begin at the current Clark/Division Red Line stop, following the State Street subway south to the Roosevelt stop, then transferring to the Orange Line's rails. Both would follow the Orange Line to its Ashland stop, with a new station at Ashland that would connect with Metra's Heritage Line. They would then both depart along new elevated rail to connect with the Douglas Branch of the Pink and Blue Lines, with a new stop created at Cermak. Both would follow the Pink Line north, with a new station connecting the Circle Line to Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line. They would continue to the Green Line's Ashland stop via the Paulina Connector, with new stations at Roosevelt Road and the United Center. After they reach the Green Line, the two plans diverge.
Ashland would follow Ashland Avenue north to North Avenue, with a new stop at Chicago, a connection to the Division stop of the Blue Line's O'Hare Branch, and a new stop at North Avenue with a connection to the Clybourn stop on Metra's Union Pacific-North and Union Pacific-Northwest Lines. After the North Avenue stop, the Circle Line would proceed to the North/Clybourn Red Line subway stop and follow the Red Line to Clark and Division, with a new connection to the Brown and Purple Lines at Division/Orleans.
Ashland-Ogden would follow Ashland Avenue north to Grand Avenue, then follow Grand to Ogden Avenue. It would follow Ogden Avenue Northeast, connecting with the Chicago stop of the Blue Line's O'Hare Branch. It would continue along Ogden to Division, then connect to the Red Line subway at Division and Orleans, with a new station there connecting those lines to the Brown and Purple Lines.
Current plans call for both of these proposed final legs to run entirely underground.[31]
If one looks at past plans for the Circle Line, the CTA has already completed what was earlier referred to as Phase I, which involved renovating the Paulina Connector for use in the new Pink Line (formerly the Blue Line Cermak Branch).
Mid-City Line (Proposed)
The Mid-City Line (or Mid-City Transitway) is another proposed line that would run along a route similar to the failed Crosstown Expressway, though primarily on existing railroad right of way. The route would link various points in the city from the northwest, west & southwest sides outside of the downtown area & their existing transit lines. The north-south part of the route would be 4 miles (6 km) west of the Circle Line's.
The line would run mostly on existing Union Pacific and Belt Railway right of way and, unlike existing Chicago Transit Authority routes that radiate from the Loop, would connect city neighborhoods on the Northwest, West and South Sides.
Beginning approximately at the location of the Jefferson Park station on the Blue Line, it would head south paralleling Cicero Avenue (the planned corridor for the original Crosstown), past Midway Airport before curving east along 75th Street, eventually terminating at 87th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The Mid-City route would intersect with the CTA's Green, Orange, Pink and Red Lines, as well as all three branches of the Blue Line. It would also allow for faster transit between Chicago's two airports.
The Mid-City Line, along with the Circle Line, would greatly improve transit in Chicago by linking the different spokes of the present rail lines together. Both plans are pending further studies and funding. If Chicago wins the bid for the 2016 Olympics, the odds of one or even both of the currently proposed plans finally becoming reality would greatly increase, since Federal funding would be more easily secured.
Other Expansion
Other possible future expansions, identified in the "Destination 2020" Regional Transportation Plan,[32] include:
Numerous plans have been advanced over the years to reorganize downtown Chicago rapid transit service, originally with the intention of replacing the Loop elevated, which was long seen as a blight. That goal has been largely abandoned, but there have been continued calls to improve transit within the city's greatly enlarged core. At present the 'L' does not provide direct service between the Metra commuter rail terminals in the West Loop and Michigan Avenue, the principal shopping district, nor does it offer convenient access to popular downtown destinations such as Navy Pier, Soldier Field, and McCormick Place. Plans for the Central Area Circulator, a $700 million downtown light rail system meant to remedy these failings, were shelved for lack of funding in 1995. An underground line running along the lakeshore would connect Chicago's major tourist destinations, but this plan has not been widely discussed. Recognizing the difficulty of implementing an all-rail solution, the Chicago Central Area Plan[40] advocated a mix of rail and bus improvements, the centerpiece of which was the West Loop Transportation Center, a multi-level subway to be constructed under Clinton Street from Congress to Lake streets. The top level would be a pedestrian mezzanine, buses would operate in the second level, rapid transit trains in the third level, and commuter and intercity trains in the bottom level. The rapid transit level would connect to the existing Blue Line subway at its north and south ends, making possible the "Blue Line loop," envisioned as an underground counterpart to the Loop elevated. Among other advantages the West Loop Transportation Center would provide a direct link between the 'L' and the city's two busiest commuter rail terminals, Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station. The plan also proposed transitways along Carroll Avenue, a former rail right-of-way north of the main branch of the Chicago River, and under Monroe Street in the Loop, which earlier transit schemes had proposed as rail routes. The Carroll Avenue route would provide faster bus service between the commuter stations and the rapidly redeveloping Near North Side, with possible rail service later.
Pink Line
The CTA inaugurated a new route without building any new tracks or stations when Pink Line service began on June 25, 2006. The Pink Line travels from the 54/Cermak terminal in Cicero via the Douglas branch to the Polk-Medical Center station in Chicago. At this point, instead of joining the Congress (Forest Park) branch of the Blue Line, Pink Line trains proceed via the Paulina Street Connector to the Lake Street branch of the Green Line and then clockwise around the Loop elevated via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells. The routing isn't really new, since Douglas trains followed the same path between April 4, 1954 and June 22, 1958 after the old West Side 'L' line to which the Douglas branch had connected was demolished to make way for the Eisenhower Expressway. (The demolished line, known as the Garfield Park 'L', was eventually replaced by the Congress line, which runs down the expressway median.)[41] The new route, which serves 22 stations, offers more frequent service for riders on both the Congress and Douglas branches. O'Hare trains are no longer evenly split between the Forest Park and 54/Cermak terminals; instead, most O'Hare trains terminate in Forest Park, while Pink Line trains can be scheduled independently - rush hour trains run every 7½ minutes rather than every 10-15 minutes under the old routing.[42]
Getting around on the 'L'
Prior to color coding, CTA rail line names were based on neighborhood or town served (Ravenswood, Englewood, Evanston, Skokie Swift), endpoint (Howard, Jackson Park, Midway, O'Hare), parallel streets (Congress, Lake), or even a city park the line traveled past (Douglas). As part of the effort to make the 'L' easier to navigate, train signs now indicate the destination terminal:[43]
The 'L',[1] variously, and sometimes, styled "L", El, EL, or L, is the rapid transit system that serves Chicago in the United States.
It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). It has been credited with helping create the densely built-up downtown that is one of Chicago's distinguishing features.[2]
Description
The 'L' consists of a network of eight rapid transit lines totalling 106.1 route miles (57.1 miles elevated, 36.9 miles (59 km) surface, and 12.1 miles (19 km) subway) on over 242.6 miles (390 km) of double-track rail line with 144 stations. The oldest section dates from 1892. The 'L' primarily serves the city proper plus eight close-in suburbs; service to more distant suburbs is provided by the Metra and South Shore Line (NICTD) commuter rail systems. Seventeen stations, mainly newer or at outlying locations, include park and ride facilities with a total of more than 6,600 parking spaces. About 15% of the total track length is underground.
The rail network is laid out in a spoke-hub distribution paradigm, which focuses transit toward the central loop. Inter-suburban travel requires indirect commute to the loop and transfer to another line. The CTA has proposed a 'Circle Line' to help remedy this problem.
The 'L' is the third busiest rail mass transit system in the United States, behind New York City's New York City Subway, and Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail; and by age is the third oldest rapid transit system in the Americas after New York (The oldest operating elevated sections date to the 1880s) and Boston (1898). [3]
It is one of the few rapid transit systems in North America providing 24-hour service, though only on the two busiest lines.[4] On average 658,524 people ride the 'L' each weekday, 419,258 each Saturday, and 315,240 each Sunday.[5] Annual ridership for 2006 was 195.2 million, the highest since 1993.[6].[7]
Although the 'L' gained its nickname because large parts of the system are elevated,[8] the Red and Blue lines traverse the downtown area in subways, and also have long sections in the medians of expressways that lead into and out of Chicago. Chicago pioneered the use of the expressway median for rail lines in the 1950s. There are also open-cut and/or grade-level portions (with street crossings) on some parts of the system.
Noisy and at times slow and overwhelmingly crowded, the 'L' has nonetheless become one of the symbols of the city it serves. In a 2005 poll, Chicago Tribune readers voted it one of the "seven wonders of Chicago," [9] behind the lakefront and Wrigley Field but ahead of Sears Tower, the Water Tower, the University of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry.
Lines
Chicago's rapid transit system currently consists of eight principal routes. Since 1993 'L' lines have been identified by color,[10] although older route names survive to some extent in CTA publications and popular usage to distinguish branches of longer lines:
Red Line
Red Line, consisting of the Howard and Dan Ryan branches, the Red Line is the busiest 'L' route, serving approximately 230,434 passengers each weekday.[11] It includes 34 stations on its 21.8-mile (35 km) route, traveling from Howard Street terminal on the city's northern border with Evanston, through downtown Chicago via the State Street subway, then down the Dan Ryan Expressway median to 95th Street on the Far South Side. Despite its length, the Red Line stops five miles short of the city's southern border and there are intermittent pleas to extend it.
The Red Line is one of two 'L' lines operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Blue Line
Blue Line, consisting of the O'Hare, Congress, and Douglas branches, extends from O'Hare International Airport through the Loop via the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress subway to the West Side. Most Blue Line trains travel to Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park via the Eisenhower Expressway median, but during rush hour some trains operate between O'Hare and 54/Cermak in Cicero via the Douglas branch. (Most service to 54/Cermak is provided by the Pink Line; see below.) The route from O'Hare to Des Plaines Avenue is 26.93 miles (43 km) long, and the route from O'Hare to 54th St. is 24.23 miles (39 km) long. The combined number of stations is 44. Until 1970, the northern section of the Blue Line terminated at Logan Square, during which time it was called the Milwaukee route after the parallel street; in that year service was extended to Jefferson Park via the Kennedy Expressway median, and in 1984 to O'Hare. The Blue Line is the CTA's second busiest, with 128,343 weekday boardings. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Brown Line
The Brown Line, or Ravenswood, follows an 11.4-mile (18 km) route, with 19 stations between Kimball Avenue in Albany Park and the Loop in downtown Chicago. The Brown Line has an average weekday ridership of 66,000. [12]
Green Line
Green Line, consisting of the Lake Street and Englewood-Jackson Park branches, is a completely elevated route utilizing the system's oldest segments (dating back to 1892), the Green Line extends 20.8 miles (30 km) with 29 stops between Forest Park and Oak Park (Harlem/Lake), through Chicago's Loop, to the South Side. South of the Garfield station the line branches, with trains alternately heading to Ashland/63rd in Englewood and Cottage Grove/63rd in Woodlawn. The East 63rd branch formerly extended to Jackson Park, but the portion east of Cottage Grove, which ran above 63rd Street, was demolished in stages in the 1980s and 1990s due to structural problems and then not replaced due to community demands. The average number of weekday boardings is 39,685.
Orange Line
Orange Line or Midway, The 13-mile (21 km) long Orange Line was constructed in the early 1990s on existing railroad embankments and new concrete and steel elevated structure. It runs from Chicago Midway International Airport on the Southwest Side to the Loop in downtown Chicago. Average weekday ridership is 30,111.
Pink Line
The Pink Line is an 11.2-mile (18 km) trial rerouting of former Blue Line Douglas Park branch trains from Cicero (54/Cermak) via the previously non-revenue Paulina Connector and the Green Line on Lake Street to the Loop. Its average weekday ridership is 13,461.
Purple Line
Purple Line, or Evanston, Evanston Express is a 3.9-mile (6 km) branch serving north suburban Evanston and Wilmette with express service to the Loop during rush hour. The local service operates from the Wilmette terminal at Linden Avenue through Evanston to the Howard Street terminal where it connects with the Red and Yellow lines. The rush hour express service continues from Howard to the Loop, running nonstop on the four-track line used by the Red Line to Belmont station, then serving all Brown Line stops to the Loop. Average weekday ridership is 9,956, although this does not count boardings from Belmont south, which are included in Red and Brown line statistics. The stops from Belmont to Chicago Avenue were added in the 1990s to relieve crowding on the Red and Brown lines.[13]
Yellow Line
Yellow Line, or Skokie Swift is a 4.7-mile (8 km) nonstop shuttle that runs from the Howard Street terminal to Dempster Street terminal in suburban Skokie. The Yellow Line is the only 'L' route that does not provide direct service to the Loop or run on weekends. This line was originally part of the North Shore Electric commuter rail service, and was acquired by the CTA in the 1960's. There are currently plans to construct an infill station at Oakton Street to serve downtown Skokie. Upon completion (expected in 2008 or 2009), this will signal the end of over 40 years of the Skokie Swift operating as a non-stop shuttle. At present, its average weekday ridership is 2,651.
History
The first 'L' began revenue service on June 6, 1892, when a small steam locomotive pulling four wooden coaches with 30 passengers left the 39th Street station of the Chicago & South Side Rapid Transit Railroad and arrived at Congress Street 14 minutes later over tracks still used today by the Green Line.[14]
The following year service was extended to 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, then the entrance to the popular World's Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. Later in 1893 trains began running on the Lake Street Elevated and in 1895 on the Metropolitan West Side Elevated, which consisted of the Douglas Park, Garfield Park (since replaced), Humboldt Park (since demolished), and Milwaukee lines (see map). The Metropolitan was the world's first non-exhibition rapid transit system powered by electric traction motors, a technology whose practicality had been previously demonstrated on the "intramural railway" at the world's fair.
Two years later the South Side 'L' introduced multiple-unit control, in which several or all the cars in a train are motorized and under the control of the operator, not just the lead unit. Electrification and m.u. control remain standard features of most of the world's rapid transit systems.
A drawback of early 'L' service was that none of the lines entered the central business district. Instead trains dropped passengers at stub terminals on the periphery due to a state law requiring approval by neighboring property owners for tracks built over public streets, something not easily obtained downtown.
This obstacle was overcome by the legendary traction magnate Charles Tyson Yerkes, who went on to play a pivotal role in the development of the London Underground and was immortalized by Theodore Dreiser as the ruthless schemer Frank Cowperwood in The Titan (1914) and other novels. Yerkes, who controlled much of the city's streetcar system, obtained the necessary signatures through cash and guile —– at one point he secured a franchise to build a mile-long 'L' over Van Buren Street from Wabash Avenue to Halsted Street, extracting the requisite majority from the pliable owners on the western half of the route, then building tracks chiefly over the eastern half, where property owners had opposed him.
The Union Loop opened in 1897, greatly increasing the rapid transit system's convenience but at the cost of noisy, obstructed streets, a fact of life in downtown Chicago to this day. Operation on the Yerkes-owned Northwestern Elevated, which built the North Side 'L' lines, began three years later, essentially completing the elevated infrastructure in the urban core although extensions and branches continued to be constructed in outlying areas through the 1920s.
Rarely profitable, the 'L' lines after 1911 came under the control of Samuel Insull, president of the Chicago Edison electric utility (now Commonwealth Edison), whose interest stemmed initially from the fact that the trains were the city's largest consumer of electricity. Insull instituted many improvements, including free transfers and through routing, although he did not formally combine the original firms into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company until 1924. He also bought three other Chicago electrified railroads, the North Shore, Aurora and Elgin, and South Shore interurban lines, and ran the trains of the first two into downtown Chicago via the 'L' tracks. This period of relative prosperity ended when Insull's empire collapsed in 1932, but later in the decade the city with the help of the federal government accumulated sufficient funds to begin construction of two subway lines to supplement and, some hoped, permit eventual replacement of the Loop elevated.
The State Street subway was completed in 1943; the Dearborn subway, work on which was suspended during World War II, opened in 1951. The subways bypassed a number of tight curves and circuitous routings on the original elevated lines (Milwaukee trains, for example, originated on Chicago's northwest side but entered the Loop at the southwest corner), speeding service for many riders.
By the 1940s the financial condition of the 'L,' and of Chicago mass transit in general, had become too precarious to permit continued private operation, and the necessary steps were taken to enable public takeover. In 1947 the Chicago Transit Authority acquired the assets of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines, operator of the city's streetcars. Over the next few years the CTA modernized the 'L,' replacing antiquated wooden cars with new steel ones and closing lightly used branch lines and stations, many of which had been spaced only a quarter mile apart.
The first air-conditioned cars were introduced in 1964 and the last pre-World War II cars retired in 1973. New lines were built in expressway medians, the Congress branch replacing the Garfield Park 'L' in 1958 and the Dan Ryan branch opening in 1969, followed by the first Kennedy Expressway extension in 1970.
The 'L' today
'L' ridership has increased steadily in recent years after catastrophic losses in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ridership had been remarkably stable for nearly 40 years after the CTA takeover despite declining mass transit usage nationwide, with an average of 594,000 riders boarding each weekday in 1960[15] and 577,000 in 1985. Thereafter, however, ridership dropped sharply, bottoming out at 418,000 in 1992,[16] when the Loop Flood forced the CTA to suspend operation for several weeks in the State and Dearborn subways, used by the most heavily traveled lines.
Overall traffic volume has since recovered, although growth has not been uniformly distributed, with usage of North Side lines generally up, often dramatically so, while that of West and South Side lines is flat or declining. Ridership on the Brown Line, for instance, has increased 83% since 1979, necessitating the station reconstruction project currently underway to accommodate longer trains.[17]
Annual traffic on the Howard branch of the Red Line, which reached 35 million in 2005, is approaching the 1927 prewar peak of 38.5 million.[18] The section of the Blue Line between the Loop and Logan Square, which serves once-neglected but now bustling neighborhoods such as Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Palmer Square, has seen a 54% increase in weekday riders since 1992. On the other hand, weekday ridership on the South Side portion of the Green Line, which closed for two years for reconstruction starting in 1994, was 50,400 in 1978 but only 13,000 in 2006. Boardings at the 95/Dan Ryan stop on the Red Line, though still the system's busiest at 14,100 riders per weekday, are a little over half the peak volume in the 1980s. In 1976, three North Side 'L' branches - what were then known as the Howard, Milwaukee, and Ravenswood lines − accounted for 42% of non-downtown boardings. Today (with the help of the Blue Line extension to O'Hare), they account for 58%.
The North Side (which has historically been the highest density area of the city) skew no doubt reflects the Chicago building boom of the past decade, which has focused primarily on North Side neighborhoods and downtown[19]. It may ease somewhat in the wake of the current high level of residential construction along the south lakefront. For example, ridership at the linked Roosevelt stops on the Green, Orange, and Red Lines,[20] which serve the burgeoning South Loop neighborhood, has tripled since 1992, with an average of 8,000 boardings per weekday. Patronage at the Cermak-Chinatown stop on the Red Line (4,000 weekday boardings) is at the highest level since the station opened in 1969. The 2003 Chicago Central Area Plan has proposed construction of a Green Line station at Cermak, midway between Chinatown and the McCormick Place convention center, in expectation of continued growth in the vicinity.
Iconic of Chicago though it may be, the 'L' is not the city's predominant form of mass transit. As of mid-2006 it accounted for just 36% of the CTA's 1.48 million weekday riders, the remainder traveling on the agency's extensive bus network. The rail system's rider share has increased over time, however. In 1926, the year of peak prewar rail usage, the 'L' carried 229 million passengers – seemingly a formidable number, but less than 20% of the 1.16 billion Chicago transit patrons that year, most of whom rode streetcars.[21] The shift to rail has continued in recent times. Since its low point in 1992 (due to the Chicago Flood that closed subway tunnels in the downtown area), weekday 'L' ridership has increased about 25%, while bus ridership has decreased by roughly a sixth.[22]
Rolling stock
The Chicago Transit Authority owns 1190 train cars, permanently coupled into 595 married pairs. Cars are assigned to different lines, and each line contains at most two different series of train cars. The oldest cars in the 'L', the 2200 series, were built in 1969, and the newest, the 3200 series, were built in 1992. The newest series of train cars, the 5000 series[23] , are expected to begin service sometime in 2010. All cars on the system utilize 600 volt direct current power delivered through a third rail, though plans are in the works to convert the system to alternating current.
Renovation and expansion plans
Keeping a century-old rail system in good repair has proven to be a daunting task. Some of the oldest sections of the 'L' have required wholesale reconstruction at great expense, with accompanying service disruptions and ridership losses that have yet to be recouped. In 1994 the CTA closed the Green Line for a two-year rebuilding program that ultimately cost $406 million, arguing that a shutdown would save time and money. Ten years after reopening the line has not regained the low level of ridership it had in 1992, with 13 of the 23 non-downtown stations serving fewer than 1,500 riders per weekday.[24] The CTA kept trains running during the $482 million rehabilitation of the Douglas branch of the Blue Line (now the Pink Line), but ridership dropped substantially during the 40-month project, which was completed in 2005. Traffic remains low (although climbing) today, with six of the 11 stations boarding fewer than 1,000 passengers per weekday.
More difficulties lie ahead. As of August 2006, 18% of 'L' trackage lay in "slow zones," in which trains must operate at reduced speed due to deteriorated track, structure, or other problems.[25] The line in worst condition is the busiest, the Red Line, with 36% in slow zones, including nearly half of the State Street subway. Trains on the Blue Line, the second busiest route, must operate at reduced speed for 25% of the line's length. Work to repair the blue line's tracks began July 2007 and is expected to complete by December 2008.
Red & Brown Line Renovations
Two major rehabilitation projects are currently underway – a $283 million renovation of the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line, including station renewal, trackwork and other system upgrades;[26] and a $530 million rehabilitation and capacity-expansion program for the Brown Line, which has been largely untouched since the first decade of the twentieth century. The Brown Line Capacity Expansion plan will extend station platform lengths to support 8-car trains and make all stations fully accessible. Work on the Brown Line project began on February 20, 2006 and is scheduled to be completed in 2009.[27]
Not withstanding the challenges it faces in keeping the existing 'L' system running, the CTA is exploring opportunities for new service. The most ambitious project is the Circle Line, a new 'L' route that would form a large circle around the Loop and would directly connect the CTA to various Metra rail lines in ways currently impossible in the downtown area, given the distance between the western Metra stations and the Loop elevated rail.[28] Aside from making Metra-CTA transfers more feasible, intra-CTA transfers would become more numerous, and allowing transfers outside of the downtown area would significantly decrease travel times throughout the system.
The Circle Line project is currently undergoing a federally mandated Alternatives Analysis Study, which has technically not yet ruled out the possibility of implementing the Circle Line as a bus rapid transit system, rather than a rail addition.[29]
In September 2006, as part of this Alternatives Analysis Study, the CTA narrowed the possible train routes to two, referred to as Ashland and Ashland-Ogden, both of which rely largely on existing track.[30] The two are quite similar, differing only in the northwest section of the circle. Both would begin at the current Clark/Division Red Line stop, following the State Street subway south to the Roosevelt stop, then transferring to the Orange Line's rails. Both would follow the Orange Line to its Ashland stop, with a new station at Ashland that would connect with Metra's Heritage Line. They would then both depart along new elevated rail to connect with the Douglas Branch of the Pink and Blue Lines, with a new stop created at Cermak. Both would follow the Pink Line north, with a new station connecting the Circle Line to Metra's Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line. They would continue to the Green Line's Ashland stop via the Paulina Connector, with new stations at Roosevelt Road and the United Center. After they reach the Green Line, the two plans diverge.
Ashland would follow Ashland Avenue north to North Avenue, with a new stop at Chicago, a connection to the Division stop of the Blue Line's O'Hare Branch, and a new stop at North Avenue with a connection to the Clybourn stop on Metra's Union Pacific-North and Union Pacific-Northwest Lines. After the North Avenue stop, the Circle Line would proceed to the North/Clybourn Red Line subway stop and follow the Red Line to Clark and Division, with a new connection to the Brown and Purple Lines at Division/Orleans.
Ashland-Ogden would follow Ashland Avenue north to Grand Avenue, then follow Grand to Ogden Avenue. It would follow Ogden Avenue Northeast, connecting with the Chicago stop of the Blue Line's O'Hare Branch. It would continue along Ogden to Division, then connect to the Red Line subway at Division and Orleans, with a new station there connecting those lines to the Brown and Purple Lines.
Current plans call for both of these proposed final legs to run entirely underground.[31]
If one looks at past plans for the Circle Line, the CTA has already completed what was earlier referred to as Phase I, which involved renovating the Paulina Connector for use in the new Pink Line (formerly the Blue Line Cermak Branch).
Mid-City Line (Proposed)
The Mid-City Line (or Mid-City Transitway) is another proposed line that would run along a route similar to the failed Crosstown Expressway, though primarily on existing railroad right of way. The route would link various points in the city from the northwest, west & southwest sides outside of the downtown area & their existing transit lines. The north-south part of the route would be 4 miles (6 km) west of the Circle Line's.
The line would run mostly on existing Union Pacific and Belt Railway right of way and, unlike existing Chicago Transit Authority routes that radiate from the Loop, would connect city neighborhoods on the Northwest, West and South Sides.
Beginning approximately at the location of the Jefferson Park station on the Blue Line, it would head south paralleling Cicero Avenue (the planned corridor for the original Crosstown), past Midway Airport before curving east along 75th Street, eventually terminating at 87th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway.
The Mid-City route would intersect with the CTA's Green, Orange, Pink and Red Lines, as well as all three branches of the Blue Line. It would also allow for faster transit between Chicago's two airports.
The Mid-City Line, along with the Circle Line, would greatly improve transit in Chicago by linking the different spokes of the present rail lines together. Both plans are pending further studies and funding. If Chicago wins the bid for the 2016 Olympics, the odds of one or even both of the currently proposed plans finally becoming reality would greatly increase, since Federal funding would be more easily secured.
Other Expansion
Other possible future expansions, identified in the "Destination 2020" Regional Transportation Plan,[32] include:
- New express service to O'Hare and Midway airports from a downtown terminal on State Street. A business plan prepared for the CTA calls for a private firm to manage the venture with service starting in 2008.[33] The project has been criticized as a boondoggle.[34] The custom-equipped, premium-fare trains would offer nonstop service at faster speeds than the current Blue and Orange Lines. Although the trains would not run on dedicated rails (construction of such tracks could cost more than $1.5 billion), several short sections of passing track build at stations would allow the express trains to pass Blue and Orange trains while they sit at those stations.[35] The CTA has already pledged $130 million and the city of Chicago $42 million toward the cost of the downtown station.[36] In comments posted to her blog in 2006, CTA chair Carole Brown said, "I would support premium rail service only if it brought significant new operating dollars, capital funding, or other efficiencies to CTA … The most compelling reason to proceed with the project is the opportunity to connect the Blue and Red subway tunnels," which are one block apart downtown.[37] Meanwhile, Metra runs trains to O'Hare airport at faster speeds than the CTA proposal would achieve. Unfortunately, Metra only runs a few trains per day (currently).
- Yellow Line extension to Westfield Shoppingtown Old Orchard with possible intermediate stations.
- Orange Line extension to its originally-planned terminus at Ford City Shopping Center. The destination signs on Orange Line trains already indicate this as a possible endpoint[38].
- Red Line extension from 95th Street to either Pullman or 130th Street in Riverdale via the Bishop Ford Expressway median. "CTA has clearly demonstrated its commitment to building an extension of the Red Line to 130th Street and has been advancing the project," a CTA spokesperson said in 2006. This project is currently undergoing an Alternatives Analysis as required by the Federal New Starts process. At present, the possible alignments for the extension have been narrowed to Halsted Street, Michigan Ave., and the Union Pacific Railroad.[39]
- Mid-City Transitway running around, rather than through the Chicago Loop. The line would follow the Cicero Avenue/Belt Line corridor (former Crosstown Expressway alignment) between the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line at Montrose and the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line at 87th Street. It would not necessarily be an 'L' line; a busway and other options are being considered.
Numerous plans have been advanced over the years to reorganize downtown Chicago rapid transit service, originally with the intention of replacing the Loop elevated, which was long seen as a blight. That goal has been largely abandoned, but there have been continued calls to improve transit within the city's greatly enlarged core. At present the 'L' does not provide direct service between the Metra commuter rail terminals in the West Loop and Michigan Avenue, the principal shopping district, nor does it offer convenient access to popular downtown destinations such as Navy Pier, Soldier Field, and McCormick Place. Plans for the Central Area Circulator, a $700 million downtown light rail system meant to remedy these failings, were shelved for lack of funding in 1995. An underground line running along the lakeshore would connect Chicago's major tourist destinations, but this plan has not been widely discussed. Recognizing the difficulty of implementing an all-rail solution, the Chicago Central Area Plan[40] advocated a mix of rail and bus improvements, the centerpiece of which was the West Loop Transportation Center, a multi-level subway to be constructed under Clinton Street from Congress to Lake streets. The top level would be a pedestrian mezzanine, buses would operate in the second level, rapid transit trains in the third level, and commuter and intercity trains in the bottom level. The rapid transit level would connect to the existing Blue Line subway at its north and south ends, making possible the "Blue Line loop," envisioned as an underground counterpart to the Loop elevated. Among other advantages the West Loop Transportation Center would provide a direct link between the 'L' and the city's two busiest commuter rail terminals, Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station. The plan also proposed transitways along Carroll Avenue, a former rail right-of-way north of the main branch of the Chicago River, and under Monroe Street in the Loop, which earlier transit schemes had proposed as rail routes. The Carroll Avenue route would provide faster bus service between the commuter stations and the rapidly redeveloping Near North Side, with possible rail service later.
Pink Line
The CTA inaugurated a new route without building any new tracks or stations when Pink Line service began on June 25, 2006. The Pink Line travels from the 54/Cermak terminal in Cicero via the Douglas branch to the Polk-Medical Center station in Chicago. At this point, instead of joining the Congress (Forest Park) branch of the Blue Line, Pink Line trains proceed via the Paulina Street Connector to the Lake Street branch of the Green Line and then clockwise around the Loop elevated via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells. The routing isn't really new, since Douglas trains followed the same path between April 4, 1954 and June 22, 1958 after the old West Side 'L' line to which the Douglas branch had connected was demolished to make way for the Eisenhower Expressway. (The demolished line, known as the Garfield Park 'L', was eventually replaced by the Congress line, which runs down the expressway median.)[41] The new route, which serves 22 stations, offers more frequent service for riders on both the Congress and Douglas branches. O'Hare trains are no longer evenly split between the Forest Park and 54/Cermak terminals; instead, most O'Hare trains terminate in Forest Park, while Pink Line trains can be scheduled independently - rush hour trains run every 7½ minutes rather than every 10-15 minutes under the old routing.[42]
Getting around on the 'L'
Prior to color coding, CTA rail line names were based on neighborhood or town served (Ravenswood, Englewood, Evanston, Skokie Swift), endpoint (Howard, Jackson Park, Midway, O'Hare), parallel streets (Congress, Lake), or even a city park the line traveled past (Douglas). As part of the effort to make the 'L' easier to navigate, train signs now indicate the destination terminal:[43]
- Blue Line trains display "Forest Park" signs when traveling southeast/west, "O'Hare" when traveling east/northwest. Blue Line rush-hour trains terminating in Cicero display "54/Cermak."
- Brown Line trains display "Loop" signs inbound, "Kimball" outbound. Late-night Brown Line shuttle service terminates at Belmont southbound; these trains display "Belmont."
- Green Line trains display "Harlem/Lake" when north/westbound, "Ashland/63" or "East 63rd" when east/southbound.
- Orange Line trains display "Loop" inbound, "Midway" outbound.
- Pink Line trains display "Loop" inbound, "54/Cermak" outbound.
- Purple Line local shuttles display "Howard" southbound, "Linden" northbound. Rush-hour Purple Line Express trains display "Loop" inbound, "Linden" outbound.
- Red Line trains display "Howard" northbound, "95/Dan Ryan" southbound. Some southbound trains display "Roosevelt" during the overnight hours and cease service there, rather than making the complete 95/Dan Ryan run.
- Yellow Line trains display "Howard" inbound, "Skokie" outbound.
These changes do not eliminate all potential confusion, however. Visitors to the city should be aware that, since 'L' stations typically are named after the principal intersecting street, and Chicago streets tend to be long and straight, many stations on different lines have the same name. For example, there are four stations named Pulaski and five named Kedzie. It should also be noted that none of the three stations named Chicago lie in the Chicago Loop, as one might suppose; rather, the stations take their names from Chicago Avenue, which lies six city blocks (3/4 mile) north of the northern boundary of the Loop.
The Loop
Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, and Purple Line Express trains serve downtown Chicago via the Loop elevated. The Loop's nine stations average 64,800 weekday boardings.
The Orange Line and the Pink Line run clockwise, the Brown Line and Purple Line run counter-clockwise and the Green Line is the Loop's only through service; the other four lines circle the Loop and return to their starting points. The Loop forms a rectangle roughly 0.4 miles (650 m long) east-to-west and 0.6 miles (960 m) long north-to-south.
While many believe that the city's central business district was named after this section of the "L," the term actually predates the "L" and refers to a now-retired circular routing of streetcars through downtown, which followed the same basic route as the present day elevated tracks.
Making connections
The 'L' serves both Chicago airports but does not connect directly to any of the commuter rail, intercity rail, or intercity bus stations in or near the Loop. Metra, Amtrak, and Greyhound stations, and their locations relative to 'L' stops are:
- Chicago Union Station, terminal for all Amtrak and HC, BNSF, MD-W, MD-N, SWS, and NCS Metra trains, is 2 blocks north of Clinton (Blue Line) station and 3 blocks west of Quincy (Loop Brown, Orange, Purple, Pink Lines) station.
- Chicago Ogilvie Transportation Center (formerly North Western Station), terminal for UP-N, UP-NW, and UP-W Metra trains, is 2 blocks south of Clinton (Green, Pink Lines) station and 3 blocks west of the Washington/Wells (Loop Brown, Orange, Purple, Pink Lines) station.
- Chicago Millennium Station (formerly Randolph Street Terminal), terminal for Metra Electric Line and South Shore Line trains, is 2 blocks east of Randolph/Wabash (Loop Brown, Orange, Green, Purple, Pink Lines) station and is accessible through the Chicago Pedway. It can also be accessed via a Pedway connection at Lake/State (Red Line) station's southern exit.
- Chicago LaSalle Street Station, terminal for RI Metra trains, is less than a block from both LaSalle (Blue Line) and LaSalle (Loop Brown, Orange, Purple, Pink Lines) stations.
The downtown Chicago Greyhound bus terminal is 2 blocks southwest of Clinton (Blue Line) station.
- The "L" directly serves both O'Hare Airport (Blue Line) and Midway Airport (Orange Line).
Outlying transfer points between 'L' trains and Metra:
- Main Street, Purple Line / Main Street, Metra UP-N
- Davis Street, Purple Line / Davis Street, Metra UP-N
- Irving Park, Blue Line / Irving Park, UP-NW
- Montrose, Blue Line / Mayfair, Metra MD-N
- Jefferson Park, Blue Line / Jefferson Park, UP-NW
- Kedzie, Green Line / Kedzie, UP-W
- Harlem, Green Line / Oak Park, UP-W
- Western, Pink Line, Blue Line (54/Cermak Branch) / Western Avenue, BNSF
- Damen, Brown Line / Ravenswood, Metra UP-N
- Outlying transfer points between 'L' trains and Greyhound Lines bus service:
- Chicago 95th and Dan Ryan destination is directly above the 95th/Dan Ryan (Red Line) station.
- Cumberland destination is the Cumberland (Blue Line) station/CTA and PACE bus terminal.
- Skokie destination is near the Skokie (Yellow Line) station.
Slow Zones
CTA Slow Zones By Line
Purple: 26 percent
Red: 24 percent
Blue: 22 percent
Green: 5 percent
Yellow: 5 percent
Brown: 1 percent
Orange: 0 percent
Pink: 0 percent
'L' or El?
The Chicago rapid-transit system is officially nicknamed the 'L.' This registered, trademarked name for the CTA rail system applies to the whole system, as well as its elevated, subway, at-grade and open-cut segments.
In discussing various stylings of "Loop" and "L" in Destination Loop: The Story of Rapid Transit Railroading in and around Chicago (1982), author Brian J. Cudahy quotes a passage from The Neon Wilderness (1949) by Chicago author Nelson Algren: "beneath the curved steel of the El, beneath the endless ties." Cudahy then comments, "Note that in the quotation above ... it says 'El' to mean "elevated rapid transit railroad.' We trust that this usage can be ascribed to a publisher's editor in New York or some other east coast city; in Chicago the same expression is routinely rendered 'L.' "
While this is broadly true, it is not hard to find exceptions, such as the magazine Time Out Chicago, which refers to the system as the El and once responded to a letter on the subject by explaining that it chose "El" stylistically because it would be easier for people originally from outside of Chicago to decipher. However, Time Out, whose London, England-based publishing company started the Chicago edition in 2005, has a highly idiosyncratic style common throughout its worldwide publications, which also includes such practices as designating locations with often-obscure side-street names instead of the local custom of Chicago grid system street numbers.
As used by the CTA, the name is rendered as the capital letter "L", in quotation marks. "L" (with double quotation marks) was often used by CTA predecessors such as the Chicago Rapid Transit Company; however, the CTA uses single quotation marks (') on some printed materials and signs rather than double, and it seems safe to say there is no firm policy other than use of quotation marks of some kind. Lest one imagine a consensus has emerged among the cognoscenti on this point, however, historian Cudahy in his book routinely refers to the system as the L, without quotation marks.
There does seem to be wide agreement that the rail system's name is to be capitalized; purists no doubt would insist that lower-case "el" or el is a generic term for any rapid transit line elevated above surrounding streets, such as may be found in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in addition to Chicago.
"Subway" in Chicago usage is limited to sections of the 'L' that are underground and is not applied to the system as a whole, and Chicagoans typically refer to the 'L' even when they mean the below-ground parts.
A missing L train from the Brown (Ravenswood) Line was integral in the story The Bishop and the Missing L Train by Andrew Greeley, featuring the bishop-detective Father John Blackwood "Blackie" Ryan.
Audrey Niffenegger, in her Chicago based novel "The Time Traveller's Wife", refers to the system as the "El" or the "EL".
See also
Chicago 'L' rolling stock
List of rapid transit systems
Mass transit in Chicago
List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership
External links
Chicago Transit Authority - operates CTA buses and 'L' trains
Chicago-L.org - an unofficial, extensive fan site
CTA Tattler - Daily blog of "L" stories
Google Map with overlay of "L" stations and routes
Virtual L - lists restaurants, museums, and other attractions near 'L' stops
Chicago Rapid Transit Company
Chicago Rapid Transit Company
The Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) was a privately owned firm providing rapid transit rail service in Chicago, Illinois and several adjacent communities between the years 1924 and 1947. The CRT is one of the predecessors of the Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago's present mass transit operator.
Leading up to the consolidation of the 'L' companies into the CRT was decades of the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust (CER), an entity directly attributed to utilities magnate Samuel Insull. CER laid the groundwork for the companies to become one, including financial agreements and simplification that allowed for free transfers between the various lines at the places where they shared facilities, such as at Loop elevated stations. CER also resulted in the through-routing of trains from one company's line to another, enabling riders to take a single train from Ravenswood on the Northwestern 'L' to 35th Street on the South Side 'L'.
The CRT was an amalgamation of several elevated railroad operators, each of which operated service in a particular section of the city. These predecessors include:
The CRT network was entirely at or above grade level until the 1943 opening of the State Street subway, now part of CTA's Red Line.
Following World War II and the continuing financial malaise of the privately owned bus, streetcar and elevated/subway operators, both the city government of Chicago and the Illinois legislature favored consolidating the three separate systems into a single, public-owned authority. The assets and operations of the CRT were assumed by the newly-established Chicago Transit Authority on October 1, 1947.
The Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) was a privately owned firm providing rapid transit rail service in Chicago, Illinois and several adjacent communities between the years 1924 and 1947. The CRT is one of the predecessors of the Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago's present mass transit operator.
Leading up to the consolidation of the 'L' companies into the CRT was decades of the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust (CER), an entity directly attributed to utilities magnate Samuel Insull. CER laid the groundwork for the companies to become one, including financial agreements and simplification that allowed for free transfers between the various lines at the places where they shared facilities, such as at Loop elevated stations. CER also resulted in the through-routing of trains from one company's line to another, enabling riders to take a single train from Ravenswood on the Northwestern 'L' to 35th Street on the South Side 'L'.
The CRT was an amalgamation of several elevated railroad operators, each of which operated service in a particular section of the city. These predecessors include:
- Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Co. (providing service starting in 1892),
- Lake Street Elevated Railroad Co. (providing service starting in 1893),
- Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Co. (providing service starting in 1895),
- Northwestern Elevated Railroad Co. (providing service starting in 1900).
The CRT network was entirely at or above grade level until the 1943 opening of the State Street subway, now part of CTA's Red Line.
Following World War II and the continuing financial malaise of the privately owned bus, streetcar and elevated/subway operators, both the city government of Chicago and the Illinois legislature favored consolidating the three separate systems into a single, public-owned authority. The assets and operations of the CRT were assumed by the newly-established Chicago Transit Authority on October 1, 1947.
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the second largest transit system in the United States. The Chicago Transit Authority offers bus and rapid transit routes throughout the city, as well as to some suburban destinations.
The CTA is a municipal corporation that started operations on October 1, 1947 upon the purchase and combination of the transportation assets of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines streetcar system. In 1952, CTA purchased the assets of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, which was under the control of Yellow Cab founder John D. Hertz, resulting in a fully unified system. Today, the CTA is one of the three service boards financially supported by the Regional Transportation Authority.
About the Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority covers Chicago city limits and forty surrounding suburbs. The CTA provided a total of 494.8 million rides in 2006, 2.4 million more rides, a 0.5 percent increase, over 2005 numbers. Gains were especially evident on the CTA’s rail system, which recorded its highest ridership since 1993. CTA has now achieved ridership increases in seven of the past eight years.[1]
CTA operates 24 hours each day and on an average weekday, 1.6 million passengers access its buses and trains. It has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 154 routes traveling along 2,273 route miles. Buses provide about one million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. The Chicago Transit Authority's 1,190 train cars operate over eight routes and 222 miles of track. Its trains provide about 650,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago. The Chicago Transit Authority employs more than 11,000 people to operate the entire system. The system is the second largest in the US. Only the vast New York City Transit is more extensive.
Fare collection
The CTA allows riders to board a bus or train and pay with cash, transit cards, or Chicago Cards.
Paying with cash
Only buses allow riders to pay with cash. The fare is $2.00, and cash transfers are not available. Previously, some rail station turnstiles accepted cash but this feature has been removed in an effort to speed up boarding, except during sporting events at nearby 'L' stations, such as the Red Line 'L' station at Addison and the station for the same line at Sox-35th.
Paying with transit cards
Transit cards are sold at all rail stations and at the CTA's headquarters. There are two types of transit cards: stored-value and unlimited rides. Unlimited ride cards can be purchased at the CTA headquarters and from vending machines at select CTA Stations (O'Hare on the Blue Line, Midway on the Orange Line, and Chicago on the Red Line), as well as from a variety of retail outlets throughout the Chicago area, such as currency exchanges and select Jewel and Dominick's stores. They are available for one day ($5), two days ($9), three days ($12), five days ($18), seven days ($20), and thirty days ($75). There are also reduced fare cards available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, Chicago Public School students, Evanston Public School students, and students of certain area universities as well. Fare card and transit card vending machines were installed at downtown Metra train stations (Union Station, the Ogilvie Transportation Center, and the LaSalle Street Station) in early 2006.
Paying with Chicago Cards
The Chicago Card (along with the Chicago Card Plus) is a contactless smart card, powered by RFID, used by riders of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to electronically pay for bus and train fares. Fares paid with the Chicago Card are less expensive than they are for other riders; $1.75 for a one-way fare on buses and trains, and $0.25 for transfer to up to two other rides within two hours of initial fare. Additionally, riders using this type of card are given a $2 bonus for each $20 they put on it.
Bicycles on the CTA
Bicycles are permitted on CTA buses during all operating hours, and on CTA trains every weekday except from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (0700-0900) and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (1600-1800) On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, bicycles are allowed on trains all day. If you board the train with your bicycle before the hours listed above and your trip extends into those hours, the CTA allows you to finish your trip. If trains are crowded, the use of trains by cyclists may be restricted by the rail operator as appropriate. Bicycles are not permitted on trains July 3 due to Independence Day celebrations. Folding bikes may be brought aboard CTA trains and buses during all operating periods, including rush hour.
A maximum of two bicycles are allowed per train car; if the train consist is four cars in length, a total of eight bicycles are allowed on that train. However, this rule is not enforced widely throughout the system.
Transit operators have the discretion to deny access to anyone with a bike if they decide that conditions are too crowded. The CTA's entire bus fleet is now equipped with bike racks in front which can accommodate two bicycles. All CTA trains accept bicycles, although bikes are discouraged on rail cars with "blinker doors". Only standard-size bicycles are allowed on all CTA vehicles; tandems are not allowed.
Helpful tips and the full guide to transporting bicycles on CTA trains can be found at http://www.transitchicago.com/welcome/biketran.txt.
Equipment history and folklore
CTA buses were known as the "green limousine" or the "big green" — buses were one or more shades of green from the CTA's establishment through the end of the 1980s. With the delivery of the TMC RTS buses in 1991, a more patriotic color scheme was adopted, and the green scheme was fully phased out by 1996. A notable color scheme was the "Bicentennial" of about 1974 to 1976.[2]
CTA bought very few buses between the mid-1970s and the end of the 1980s. During this time, purchases were only made in 1979 (20 MAN/AM General articulated buses), 1982-83 (200 Flyer D901 buses and 125 additional MAN articulateds), and 1985 (362 MAN Americana standard length buses). Another aspect of this period was that with the exception of the 1979 and 1983 MAN orders, none of those buses had air conditioning, a budget saving move by the CTA. The 1972-76 fleet of New Looks, 1870 total, which were originally air conditioned (although there were problems with the air-conditioning systems, resulting in their eventually being disabled and sliding windows installed in the buses), comprised the majority vehicles in service into the early 1990s.
The heavy rail orders of the CTA include the last railroad stock built by the Budd Company and one of the few examples of rail cars built by Boeing-Vertol. The next order is from Bombardier.
Bus garages
103rd Garage (103rd/Stony Island)
74th Garage (74th/Wood)
77th Garage (79th/Wentworth)
Archer Garage (Archer/Pershing)
Chicago Garage (Erie/Pulaski)
Forest Glen Garage (Elston/Bryn Mawr)
Kedzie Garage (Van Buren/Kedzie)
North Park Garage (Foster/Albany)
Revenue
The CTA generates revenue from farebox collections and also receives supplemental funding for operating expenses from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). In 2006, CTA generated 53% of its operating budget internally, mostly from fares but also from advertising, parking, and other services; it received $524 million from the RTA, $479.5 million of which stemmed from sales tax receipts collected in the Chicago region.
Funding crisis
The CTA faced the elimination of 82 bus routes out of the present 154 due to a funding crisis. There was a shortfall of $226 million in the 2007 budget which the RTA and CTA had hoped would be addressed by the Illinois General Assembly.[3] A proposal last summer to increase the RTA's sale tax rate failed in the General Assembly last summer, while the state Senate is considering another compromise bill which would also address roads, schools and other infrastructure. Without help from the state, the CTA would have been compelled under the present budget plan to eliminate 82 bus routes in early January 2008, 2,420 employees of the CTA would be laid off, 22% of the workforce. [4] However, on November 2, 2007, two days before the first of the cuts were to be effected, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in cooperation with the General Assembly and the federal government presented the RTA with a grant for $27 million which would be sufficient to allow the full CTA and RTA systems to operate until the end of 2007. [5] However the CTA decided on November 7 to cut 81 routes (all but one initially proposed for cutting) and lay off 2,400 employees as previously proposed on January 20 2008 if no new funding plan is implemented. [6] Governor Blagojevich has proposed a plan to use funds from a proposed casino in the city. To add fuel to the fire, the head of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, Rick Harris, said that if the situation is not resolved by the end of 2007, then the union will strike [7]
See also
Chicago 'L'
List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes
List of Chicago Elevated stations
Mass transit in Chicago
Transit fares
External links
Chicago Transit Authority - official site, including a trip planner, and system maps.
Metropolitan Transit Authority Act from the Illinois General Assembly site - provides the legal framework for the CTA.
Keep Chicagoland Moving - official CTA site to encourage support for mass transit funding.
SaveChicagolandTransit.com - An independent view on the Chicago area transit funding crisis. Offers users the ability to contact legislators.
Ask Carole - the blog of CTA Chairman Carole Brown.
Chicago-L.org - the Internet's largest resource for information on Chicago's rapid transit system.
ChicagoBus.org - a site covering CTA bus operations.
Bill Vandervoort's Chicago Transit and Railfan CTA page - unofficial enthusiast's site.
Yahoo! Groups CHICAGOTRANSIT - a Chicago Transit mailing list discussing CTA and its sister agencies.
Campaign for Better Transit - Site of a former coalition of Chicago public transit riders and community groups.
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the second largest transit system in the United States. The Chicago Transit Authority offers bus and rapid transit routes throughout the city, as well as to some suburban destinations.
The CTA is a municipal corporation that started operations on October 1, 1947 upon the purchase and combination of the transportation assets of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines streetcar system. In 1952, CTA purchased the assets of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, which was under the control of Yellow Cab founder John D. Hertz, resulting in a fully unified system. Today, the CTA is one of the three service boards financially supported by the Regional Transportation Authority.
About the Chicago Transit Authority
The Chicago Transit Authority covers Chicago city limits and forty surrounding suburbs. The CTA provided a total of 494.8 million rides in 2006, 2.4 million more rides, a 0.5 percent increase, over 2005 numbers. Gains were especially evident on the CTA’s rail system, which recorded its highest ridership since 1993. CTA has now achieved ridership increases in seven of the past eight years.[1]
CTA operates 24 hours each day and on an average weekday, 1.6 million passengers access its buses and trains. It has approximately 2,000 buses that operate over 154 routes traveling along 2,273 route miles. Buses provide about one million passenger trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops. The Chicago Transit Authority's 1,190 train cars operate over eight routes and 222 miles of track. Its trains provide about 650,000 customer trips each day and serve 144 stations in Chicago. The Chicago Transit Authority employs more than 11,000 people to operate the entire system. The system is the second largest in the US. Only the vast New York City Transit is more extensive.
Fare collection
The CTA allows riders to board a bus or train and pay with cash, transit cards, or Chicago Cards.
Paying with cash
Only buses allow riders to pay with cash. The fare is $2.00, and cash transfers are not available. Previously, some rail station turnstiles accepted cash but this feature has been removed in an effort to speed up boarding, except during sporting events at nearby 'L' stations, such as the Red Line 'L' station at Addison and the station for the same line at Sox-35th.
Paying with transit cards
Transit cards are sold at all rail stations and at the CTA's headquarters. There are two types of transit cards: stored-value and unlimited rides. Unlimited ride cards can be purchased at the CTA headquarters and from vending machines at select CTA Stations (O'Hare on the Blue Line, Midway on the Orange Line, and Chicago on the Red Line), as well as from a variety of retail outlets throughout the Chicago area, such as currency exchanges and select Jewel and Dominick's stores. They are available for one day ($5), two days ($9), three days ($12), five days ($18), seven days ($20), and thirty days ($75). There are also reduced fare cards available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, Chicago Public School students, Evanston Public School students, and students of certain area universities as well. Fare card and transit card vending machines were installed at downtown Metra train stations (Union Station, the Ogilvie Transportation Center, and the LaSalle Street Station) in early 2006.
Paying with Chicago Cards
The Chicago Card (along with the Chicago Card Plus) is a contactless smart card, powered by RFID, used by riders of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to electronically pay for bus and train fares. Fares paid with the Chicago Card are less expensive than they are for other riders; $1.75 for a one-way fare on buses and trains, and $0.25 for transfer to up to two other rides within two hours of initial fare. Additionally, riders using this type of card are given a $2 bonus for each $20 they put on it.
Bicycles on the CTA
Bicycles are permitted on CTA buses during all operating hours, and on CTA trains every weekday except from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (0700-0900) and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. (1600-1800) On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, bicycles are allowed on trains all day. If you board the train with your bicycle before the hours listed above and your trip extends into those hours, the CTA allows you to finish your trip. If trains are crowded, the use of trains by cyclists may be restricted by the rail operator as appropriate. Bicycles are not permitted on trains July 3 due to Independence Day celebrations. Folding bikes may be brought aboard CTA trains and buses during all operating periods, including rush hour.
A maximum of two bicycles are allowed per train car; if the train consist is four cars in length, a total of eight bicycles are allowed on that train. However, this rule is not enforced widely throughout the system.
Transit operators have the discretion to deny access to anyone with a bike if they decide that conditions are too crowded. The CTA's entire bus fleet is now equipped with bike racks in front which can accommodate two bicycles. All CTA trains accept bicycles, although bikes are discouraged on rail cars with "blinker doors". Only standard-size bicycles are allowed on all CTA vehicles; tandems are not allowed.
Helpful tips and the full guide to transporting bicycles on CTA trains can be found at http://www.transitchicago.com/welcome/biketran.txt.
Equipment history and folklore
CTA buses were known as the "green limousine" or the "big green" — buses were one or more shades of green from the CTA's establishment through the end of the 1980s. With the delivery of the TMC RTS buses in 1991, a more patriotic color scheme was adopted, and the green scheme was fully phased out by 1996. A notable color scheme was the "Bicentennial" of about 1974 to 1976.[2]
CTA bought very few buses between the mid-1970s and the end of the 1980s. During this time, purchases were only made in 1979 (20 MAN/AM General articulated buses), 1982-83 (200 Flyer D901 buses and 125 additional MAN articulateds), and 1985 (362 MAN Americana standard length buses). Another aspect of this period was that with the exception of the 1979 and 1983 MAN orders, none of those buses had air conditioning, a budget saving move by the CTA. The 1972-76 fleet of New Looks, 1870 total, which were originally air conditioned (although there were problems with the air-conditioning systems, resulting in their eventually being disabled and sliding windows installed in the buses), comprised the majority vehicles in service into the early 1990s.
The heavy rail orders of the CTA include the last railroad stock built by the Budd Company and one of the few examples of rail cars built by Boeing-Vertol. The next order is from Bombardier.
Bus garages
103rd Garage (103rd/Stony Island)
74th Garage (74th/Wood)
77th Garage (79th/Wentworth)
Archer Garage (Archer/Pershing)
Chicago Garage (Erie/Pulaski)
Forest Glen Garage (Elston/Bryn Mawr)
Kedzie Garage (Van Buren/Kedzie)
North Park Garage (Foster/Albany)
Revenue
The CTA generates revenue from farebox collections and also receives supplemental funding for operating expenses from the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). In 2006, CTA generated 53% of its operating budget internally, mostly from fares but also from advertising, parking, and other services; it received $524 million from the RTA, $479.5 million of which stemmed from sales tax receipts collected in the Chicago region.
Funding crisis
The CTA faced the elimination of 82 bus routes out of the present 154 due to a funding crisis. There was a shortfall of $226 million in the 2007 budget which the RTA and CTA had hoped would be addressed by the Illinois General Assembly.[3] A proposal last summer to increase the RTA's sale tax rate failed in the General Assembly last summer, while the state Senate is considering another compromise bill which would also address roads, schools and other infrastructure. Without help from the state, the CTA would have been compelled under the present budget plan to eliminate 82 bus routes in early January 2008, 2,420 employees of the CTA would be laid off, 22% of the workforce. [4] However, on November 2, 2007, two days before the first of the cuts were to be effected, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in cooperation with the General Assembly and the federal government presented the RTA with a grant for $27 million which would be sufficient to allow the full CTA and RTA systems to operate until the end of 2007. [5] However the CTA decided on November 7 to cut 81 routes (all but one initially proposed for cutting) and lay off 2,400 employees as previously proposed on January 20 2008 if no new funding plan is implemented. [6] Governor Blagojevich has proposed a plan to use funds from a proposed casino in the city. To add fuel to the fire, the head of the local Amalgamated Transit Union, Rick Harris, said that if the situation is not resolved by the end of 2007, then the union will strike [7]
See also
Chicago 'L'
List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes
List of Chicago Elevated stations
Mass transit in Chicago
Transit fares
External links
Chicago Transit Authority - official site, including a trip planner, and system maps.
Metropolitan Transit Authority Act from the Illinois General Assembly site - provides the legal framework for the CTA.
Keep Chicagoland Moving - official CTA site to encourage support for mass transit funding.
SaveChicagolandTransit.com - An independent view on the Chicago area transit funding crisis. Offers users the ability to contact legislators.
Ask Carole - the blog of CTA Chairman Carole Brown.
Chicago-L.org - the Internet's largest resource for information on Chicago's rapid transit system.
ChicagoBus.org - a site covering CTA bus operations.
Bill Vandervoort's Chicago Transit and Railfan CTA page - unofficial enthusiast's site.
Yahoo! Groups CHICAGOTRANSIT - a Chicago Transit mailing list discussing CTA and its sister agencies.
Campaign for Better Transit - Site of a former coalition of Chicago public transit riders and community groups.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)