The Chicago "L" is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid transit system in the United States in terms of total route length, at 102.8 miles (165.4 km) long as of 2014, and the third-busiest rapid transit system in the United States, after the New York City Subway and Washington Metro. In 2016, the "L" had 1,492 rail cars, eight different routes, and 145 train stations. In 2022, the system had 103,524,900 rides, or about 367,000 per weekday in the second quarter of 2023.
The Yellow Line, alternatively known as the Skokie Swift, is a branch of the Chicago "L" in Chicago, Illinois. The 4.7-mile (7.6 km) route runs from the Howard Terminal on the north side of Chicago, through the southern part of Evanston and to the Dempster Terminal in Skokie, Illinois, making one intermediate stop at Oakton Street in Skokie.
The Blue Line is a 26.93-mile-long (43.34 km) Chicago "L" line which extends through The Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and across the West Side to its southwest end at Forest Park, with a total of 33 stations. At about 27 miles, it is the longest line on the Chicago "L" system and second busiest, and one of the longest local subway/elevated lines in the world. It has an average of 64,978 passengers boarding each weekday in 2022.
The Loop is the 1.79-mile (2.88 km) long circuit of elevated rail that forms the hub of the Chicago "L" system in the United States. As of 2022, the branch served 31,893 passengers every weekday. The Loop is so named because the elevated tracks loop around a rectangle formed by Lake Street, Wabash Avenue (east), Van Buren Street (south), and Wells Street (west). The railway loop has given its name to Chicago's downtown, which is also known as the Loop.
Oakton–Skokie is an 'L' station on the CTA's Yellow Line, which serves downtown Skokie. Previously, a station existed at this location which was in operation as part of the North Shore Line's Niles Center Route from 1925 until 1948, and later demolished in 1964. The current station opened on April 30, 2012.
The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad was the third elevated rapid transit line to be built in Chicago, Illinois. It was the first of Chicago’s elevated lines to be electrically powered. The main line ran from downtown Chicago to Marshfield Avenue, with branches to Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Douglas Park. Portions of the system are still operated as sections of the Blue Line and the Pink Line.
Racine is an abandoned rapid transit station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line. The station is located at 6314–16 South Racine Avenue in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Racine opened on February 25, 1907, when the Englewood branch of the South Side Elevated Railroad was extended westward. The station closed with the rest of the Green Line on January 9, 1994, but did not reopen with the rest of the Green Line on May 12, 1996.
Schiller was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's North Side Main Line, which is now part of the Brown Line. The station was located at 315 W. Schiller Street in the Near North Side neighborhood of Chicago. Schiller was situated south of Sedgwick and north of Division, which closed at the same time as Schiller. Schiller opened on May 31, 1900, and closed on August 1, 1949, along with 22 other stations as part of a CTA service revision.
University was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line; The station was located at 1200 East 63rd Street in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago. University opened on April 23, 1893. From December 12, 1982, until January 9, 1994, University served as the terminal of the Jackson Park Branch. The station closed on January 9, 1994, when the entire Green Line closed for a renovation project. University did not reopen with the rest of the Green Line on May 12, 1996. University was scheduled to be replaced by a new terminal at Dorchester. Instead the line was cut back to its current terminal at Cottage Grove. The University station was demolished in September 1997 when the City of Chicago demolished the rest of the Jackson Park branch east of Cottage Grove.
The Metropolitan main line was a rapid transit line of the Chicago "L" system from 1895 to 1958. It ran west from downtown to a junction at Marshfield station. At this point the Garfield Park branch continued westward, while the Douglas Park branch turned south, and the Logan Square branch turned north with the Humboldt Park branch branching from it. In addition to serving the Chicago "L", its tracks and those of the Garfield Park branch also carried the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, an interurban that served Chicago's western suburbs, between 1905 and 1953.
Main was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Main Street and Niles Center Road in Skokie, Illinois. Main was situated south of Dempster and north of Oakton. Main opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch.
Kostner was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Kostner Avenue and Mulford Street in Skokie, Illinois. Kostner was situated east of Oakton and west of Crawford-East Prairie. Kostner opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch. The station was originally known as Schreiber Road.
Crawford–East Prairie was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Mulford Street between Crawford Avenue and East Prairie Road in Skokie, Illinois. Crawford–East Prairie was situated east of Kostner and west of Dodge. Crawford–East Prairie opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch.
Asbury was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Asbury Avenue and Brummel Street in Evanston, Illinois. Asbury was situated east of Dodge and west of Ridge. Asbury opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch.
Ridge was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Ridge Avenue and Brummel Street in Evanston, Illinois. Ridge was situated east of Asbury and west of Howard. Ridge opened on March 28, 1925, and closed on March 27, 1948, upon the closing of the Niles Center branch.
Homan was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line. The station was located at Homan Avenue and Lake Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. Homan was situated east of Pulaski and west of Kedzie. Homan opened in March 1894 and closed on January 9, 1994, when the entire Green Line closed for a renovation project. The station did not reopen with the rest of the Green Line on May 12, 1996.
The State Street subway is an underground section of the Chicago "L" system in The Loop which serves as the center of the Red Line. It is 4.9 mi (7.9 km) long and has a boarding average of 53,601 passengers every weekday as of February 2013. It owes its name to State Street which it runs below. Since the subway is operated by the Red Line, it serves passengers 24 hours a day/7 days a week and 365 days a year.
The Chicago "L" used skip-stop service, wherein certain trains would stop only at certain designated stations on a route, from 1948 to 1995. It was implemented as a way to speed up travel within a route, and was one of the Chicago Transit Authority's first reforms upon its assumption of the "L"'s operations.
The Randolph Street Branch and Cuyler Avenue Shuttle were two different incarnations of a rapid transit line operated in and around Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, by the Lake Street Elevated intermittently between 1899 and 1912. The Randolph Street Branch served as the line's westward extension to Wisconsin Avenue from Lombard Avenue, whereas the Cuyler Avenue Shuttle was intended to serve the Harlem Race Track. Local opposition resulted in the lines being discontinued.
