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 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 Green Line is a rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Chicago "L" system. It is the only completely elevated route in the "L" system. All other routes may have various combinations of elevated, subway, street level, or freeway median sections.
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 Howard on Chicago’s north border, passing through the city of Evanston.
63rd Street station is a commuter rail station within the city of Chicago that serves the Metra Electric Line north to Millennium Station and south to University Park, Blue Island, and the Chicago neighborhood of South Chicago and the South Shore Line to Gary and South Bend, Indiana. Most South Shore Line trains do not stop at this station, except for one inbound train during the AM rush and two outbound trains during the PM rush on weekdays. As of 2018, the station is the 169th busiest of Metra's 236 non-downtown stations, with an average of 167 weekday boardings.
Ashland/63rd is an 'L' station and the terminal of the CTA Green Line's Ashland branch, located in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Situating at 6315 S. Ashland Avenue, the station contains a Park 'n' ride lot with 235 spaces as well as a Kiss 'n' Ride lane. This is one of two stations on the Green Line to be named Ashland. The other station is on the Lake Street branch and is shared between the Green and Pink Lines. The Red Line served this station from May 19, 2013 to October 20, 2013, April 3, 2017 to November 22, 2017, and July 30, 2018 to April 26, 2019.
King Drive station is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system. It is located in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois and serves the Green Line's East 63rd branch. The station is situated at 400 East 63rd Street. The station opened on May 1, 1893. King Drive only allows boarding on the inbound platform ; the outbound platform is exit-only.
Cottage Grove, is an 'L' station and the current terminus of the CTA Green Line's East 63rd branch, located in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The station, situated at 800 East 63rd Street, opened on April 23, 1893. This station is the current terminal of the East 63rd branch of the Green Line, and the easternmost station on the 'L' system.
Oak Park is a station on the Chicago 'L' system, serving the Blue Line's Forest Park branch and Oak Park, Illinois. The station is alongside the Eisenhower Expressway between Oak Park Avenue and East Avenue, near the Oak Park Conservatory. The auxiliary entrance on East Avenue is half a block from the Oak Park Conservatory.
The South Side Elevated Railroad was the first elevated rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from downtown Chicago to Jackson Park, with branches to Englewood, Normal Park, Kenwood, and the Union Stock Yards. The first 3.6 miles (5.8 km) of the line opened on June 6, 1892. Much of its route is still used today as part of the Green Line of the Chicago "L" system.
Morgan is a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L"'s Green and Pink Lines in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood. The current station opened at this location in 2012, where a previous station stood from 1893 to 1949.
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.
29th was a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L"'s South Side main line. Originally constructed by the South Side Elevated Railroad company, it was one of the original ten stations opened on the Chicago "L", beginning service on June 6, 1892. The South Side Elevated Railroad merged operations with three other companies to form Chicago Elevated Railways (CER) in 1911, before merging outright with them in 1924 to form the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT). Public ownership came to the "L" in 1947 with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).
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.
The South Side Elevated is a branch of the Chicago "L" system in Chicago, Illinois that is served by the Green Line. It has on average 12,509 passengers, counting branch divisions, boarding each weekday as of February 2013, according to the Chicago Transit Authority. The branch is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long with a total of 8 stations, and runs from the Near South Side to the Washington Park neighborhood of Chicago.
Jackson Park was a station on the Jackson Park Branch of the Chicago "L". The station opened on May 12, 1893, and closed on March 4, 1982, when "L" service on the Jackson Park branch was suspended due to structural defects in the Dorchester bridge over the Illinois Central Railroad. The station was later demolished. The station was the terminal of the Jackson Park branch from October 31, 1893 until March 4, 1982.
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 East 63rd branch, formerly known as the Jackson Park branch, is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long branch of the Chicago "L" operated as part the Green Line by the Chicago Transit Authority, serving the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.
