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 the Washington Metro. As of January 2024, the "L" had 1,480 rail cars operating across eight different routes on 224.1 miles of track. CTA trains make about 1,888 trips each day servicing 146 train stations. In 2023, the system had 117,447,000 rides, or about 400,000 per weekday in the second quarter of 2024.
The Purple Line of the Chicago "L" is a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) route on the northernmost section of the system. The service normally begins from Linden in Wilmette and ends at Howard on Chicago's north border, passing through the city of Evanston.
Howard is an 'L' station in Chicago, Illinois on the North Side Main Line. It is the northern terminus of the Red Line and the southeastern terminus of the Yellow Line; it also serves the Purple Line, for which it is the southern terminus at non-rush hour times on weekdays and all day on weekends. Trains on the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad also stopped at Howard from 1926 until that line was abandoned in 1963.
Quincy is a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L" system. It is located between the Washington/Wells and LaSalle/Van Buren stations on the Loop. The station is located above the intersection of Quincy Street and Wells Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Having opened in 1897, it is one of the oldest surviving stations on the 'L' system.
Loyola is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, served by the Red Line. It is located at 1200 West Loyola Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The station has high ridership by students from the nearby Lakeshore Campus of Loyola University Chicago. The Red Line right-of-way runs directly through the southwest corner of the campus. Purple Line weekday rush hour express service use the outside tracks but do not stop at this station.
Chicago, is an 'L' station on the CTA's Brown and Purple Lines. Located in the Near North Side neighborhood at 300 W Chicago Avenue at West Chicago Avenue and North Franklin Street in Chicago, Illinois, the station opened in 1900 as part of the original series of stations on the Northwestern Elevated. A high density of art galleries and several schools is in the vicinity of the station, including the Moody Bible Institute.
Argyle is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line, located at 1118 West Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is an elevated station with an island platform. Purple Line weekday rush hour express service passes through this station but does not stop, normally on the outermost tracks, but due to the reconstruction going on until 2025, they currently use the same tracks as Red Line trains.
Addison is a Chicago "L" station on the Chicago Transit Authority Red Line. It is located in the Wrigleyville area of the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, at 940 West Addison Street with city block coordinates at 3600 North at 940 West. Addison directly serves Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. The station is within the shadow of the historic baseball stadium, which was built with convenient access to the "L" in mind.
Dempster–Skokie, formerly known as Dempster, or Skokie, is an 'L' station on the CTA's Yellow Line at 5005 Dempster Street in Skokie, Illinois. It is one of three stops on the Yellow Line, and the line’s western terminus, Dempster–Skokie is one of two CTA rail stations in Skokie, and is at grade level.
Jarvis is an 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line, located at 1523 W. Jarvis Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
Wilson is an 'L' station on the CTA's North Side Main Line, located at 4620 North Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is served at all times by the Red Line and by the Purple Line on weekdays at rush hour.
Fullerton is an 'L' station on the CTA's North Side Main Line. It is served at all times by Red and Brown Line trains; Purple Line Express trains also stop at the station during weekday rush hours. It is an elevated station with two island platforms, serving four tracks, located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Brown and Purple Line trains share the outer tracks while Red Line trains run on the inner tracks. As well as being an important transfer station, the station serves the Lincoln Park Campus of DePaul University.
Wilmette is the name of a commuter railroad station in Wilmette, Illinois that is served by Metra's Union Pacific North Line. Trains go south to Ogilvie Transportation Center and as far north as Kenosha, Wisconsin. Travel time to Ogilvie is 31 minutes on local trains, and as little as 27 minutes on morning inbound trains and 22 minutes on one afternoon inbound train. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Wilmette is in zone 2. As of 2018, Wilmette was the 18th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 1,653 weekday boardings.
Sedgwick is an 'L' station on the CTA's Brown Line, Purple Line Express trains also stop at the station during weekday rush hours. It is an elevated station with two side platforms, located in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood of the Near North Side community area. The adjacent stations are Armitage, which is located about one mile (1.6 km) to the northwest, and Chicago, located about one mile (1.6 km) to the south.
Bryn Mawr is an 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line. It is located at 1119 West Bryn Mawr Avenue in the Bryn Mawr Historic District of the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Thorndale, located about one half mile to the north, and Berwyn, about three eighths of a mile to the south. Four tracks pass through the station, but the two western tracks are currently out of service for reconstruction. There is an island platform in the center of the tracks which currently only serves southbound trains; Purple Line weekday rush hour express service pass through the station on the same tracks used by the Red Line but do not stop. The name "Bryn Mawr" comes from the SEPTA Regional Rail station located northwest of Philadelphia in the community of the same name. The name came to the area in the 1880s by Edgewater developer John Lewis Cochran, and is Welsh for "Big Hill."
Lawrence is a temporarily closed 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line. It is an elevated station located at 1117 West Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Argyle, located about 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) to the north, and Wilson, about 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) to the south, serving as alternate stations remaining open while Lawrence is closed for reconstruction. Four tracks pass through the station, though the two western tracks are out of service for reconstruction with all trains passing through without stopping on the two eastern tracks. Prior to demolition in 2021, there was a single island platform in the center of the tracks; Purple Line weekday rush hour express service used the outside tracks and did not stop.
Wellington is a Chicago 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Brown Line; Purple Line express trains also stop at the station during weekday rush hours. It is an elevated station with four tracks and two side platforms, located at 945 West Wellington Avenue in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Red Line trains pass through the station on the middle tracks, but do not stop. The station closed for renovations from March 30, 2008, until July 30, 2009.
Armitage is a Chicago Transit Authority "L" elevated station with two side platforms in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on the Brown Line; Purple Line express trains also stop at the station during weekday rush hours. Red Line trains pass through on the middle tracks, but do not stop. Just south of the platforms is where the Red Line tracks descend into the State Street subway. It is located near the Lincoln Park Zoo, and is accessible via the 73 Armitage bus route.
The Jefferson Park Transit Center is an intermodal passenger transport hub in the Jefferson Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It serves as a station for rail and also as a bus terminal. Jefferson Park Transit Center's railroad station is on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line, with the station located at 4963 North Milwaukee Avenue. Jefferson Park is 9.1 miles (14.6 km) away from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago, the inbound terminus of the Union Pacific Northwest Line. Under Metra's zone-based fare system, Jefferson Park is in zone 2. As of 2018, Jefferson Park is the 97th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 510 weekday boardings.
Wilbus was a municipal bus service provided by the village of Wilmette, Illinois, from 1974 to 1995. Its motto was "Home of the World's Friendliest Bus Drivers". It was created by the village board after the bankruptcy of the privately-owned Glenview Bus Company. It operated as a division of Wilmette Public Works until January 7, 1995, when it was absorbed into Pace, the suburban bus division of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
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