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. In 2016, the "L" had 1,492 rail cars, eight different routes, and 145 train stations. In 2023, the system had 117,447,000 rides, or about 373,800 per weekday in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The Yellow Line, alternatively known as the Skokie Swift, is a branch of the Chicago "L" train system 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 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.
Berwyn is a temporarily closed 'L' station on the CTA's Red Line. It is located at 1121 West Berwyn Avenue in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Bryn Mawr, located about 3⁄8 mile (0.60 km) to the north, and Argyle, about 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) to the south, both still in service and serving as alternate stations. Four tracks pass through the station, but there is only single island platform in the center of the tracks. The two western tracks are temporarily out of service for construction and trains on both the Red and Purple Lines pass Berwyn on the eastern tracks without stopping. When it reopens, it will consist of an island platform with Red Line trains stopping on the inner tracks and Purple Line Express trains bypassing the station on the outer tracks. Berwyn is named for the Berwyn station in the community of the same name, which is west of Philadelphia. Many of the roads in the Edgewater neighborhood are named after stations on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line.
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 terminus of line, It is one of two CTA rail stations in Skokie, and is at grade level.
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.
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.
Dodge was a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Niles Center branch, now known as the Yellow Line. The station was located at Dodge Street and Mulford Street in Evanston, Illinois. Dodge was situated east of Crawford-East Prairie and west of Asbury. Dodge 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.
The North Side Main Line is a branch of the Chicago "L" system that is used by Red, Purple, and Brown Line trains. As of 2012, it is the network's busiest rail branch, serving an average of 123,229 passengers each weekday. The branch is 10.3 miles (16.6 km) long with a total of 21 stations, from Howard Street in Rogers Park down to Lake Street in Chicago's Loop. The branch serves the north side of the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Lake Street Elevated, also known as the Lake branch, is a 8.75 mi (14.08 km) long branch of the Chicago "L" which is located west of the Chicago Loop and serves the Green Line for its entire length, as well as the Pink Line east of Ashland Avenue. As of February 2013, the branch serves an average of 27,217 passengers each weekday. It serves the Near West Side, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, and Austin neighborhoods of Chicago, as well as the suburbs Oak Park and Forest Park. It owes its name to Lake Street, the street that the branch overlooks for 6.25 mi (10.06 km) before continuing its route straight west, adjacent to South Boulevard, towards the terminus at Harlem/Lake.
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.
Madison was a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L"'s Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, serving its Logan Square branch from 1895 to 1951. The station was typical of those constructed by the Metropolitan, with a Queen Anne station house and two wooden side platforms adjacent to the tracks. For much of its existence, Madison served the nearby sports arena Chicago Stadium.
