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73-470: The Cermak branch , formerly known as the Douglas branch , is a 6.6 mi (10.6 km) long section of the Pink Line of the Chicago "L" system in Chicago, Illinois . It was built by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated west of the Loop. As of February 2013, it serves an average of 17,474 passengers every weekday. The branch serves the Near West Side , Pilsen , Lower West Side , South Lawndale , and North Lawndale neighborhoods of Chicago, and

146-620: A 13.3-mile (21.4 km) extension of the Blue Line, from its current western terminus at Forest Park to Yorktown Center in Lombard, Illinois . Several feeder bus services would also be implemented in this plan. The prospect of this extension was also listed in the Chicago region's 2030 master plan. In 2013, the idea of an infill station at Nagle and Bryn Mawr Avenues was postponed. Such a station remains only idea but may come to fruition in

219-541: A mile (1.6 km) west of Mannheim Road. The line runs in the median of Interstate 190 east through Rosemont . The line has a station at River Road in Rosemont , which is also the location of the northern storage yard and served as a temporary terminal from 1983 to 1984 while the O'Hare station was being completed. The tracks then tunnel beneath the Kennedy Expressway / Northwest Tollway interchange near

292-597: A minimum headway of 20 minutes after midnight, decreasing to 8–9 minutes during weekday rush hours. The Pink Line is operated with the Bombardier -built 5000-series railcars. Trains operate using four cars on weekdays and weekends. Frequently, the Pink and Green Lines borrow each other's cars when either line is short on cars. Since September 2018, two cars sets assigned to the Pink Line make weekday rush hour trips on

365-585: A perception that the CTA was uninterested in serving the West Side. On September 10, 2001, the CTA began a historic reconstruction of the Douglas Branch to repair its aging stations and tracks. The work was officially completed on January 8, 2005, with new elevated structures, tracks, rebuilt stations, new communication networks and an upgraded power system along the route. On January 1, 2005, weekend service

438-639: A plan in the form of another subway corridor in the Downtown area was proposed, which was to be routed from UIC-Halsted Station through the north portals, then north under Des Plaines Street to Monroe Street and east under Monroe Street to Grant Park and Millennium Park , where it was to split into two branches: one north to Walton Street serving the North Michigan Avenue area and the other southeast to McCormick Place utilizing Metra Electric right-of-way. Though these portals are still not used,

511-795: A portal near UIC-Halsted in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) and continue west. After exiting the subway, the tracks continue west in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway as the Forest Park branch , formerly called the Congress branch , successor to the Garfield Park Branch. Immediately west of Racine , the Forest Park branch tracks diverge to permit a ramp up to

584-435: A result of budget cuts that also eliminated owl service on several other lines. Congress (Forest Park) service was effectively doubled through much of the day since service frequency from O'Hare required shorter headways than what would have been left. While the CTA claimed Douglas branch reductions were due to low ridership, community activists also pointed to badly deteriorated infrastructure and funding shortfalls, as well as

657-462: A series of 'L' lines servicing the West Side of Chicago beginning in 1895. The first section to be built by the Metropolitan extended west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street from an independent terminal at Canal and Jackson Streets to Marshfield Avenue, and then northward in the vicinity of Paulina Street to Damen and Milwaukee Avenues. Service on this section began on May 6, 1895. The structure

730-616: A series of massive service cuts and station closings (that would last until the 1980s). The Metropolitan lines began to be reshaped into the current Blue Line on February 25, 1951, when the CTA opened the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, connecting the Logan Square Branch with the Loop on a fast, efficient and more direct routing to downtown, rather than the previous circuitous route that saw these trains entering

803-456: The Blue Line . At the time of their reintroduction, all Pink Line consists using 5000-series cars were six cars long. As of mid-August 2012, the Pink Line was using the 5000-series cars in four and six car consists. With the successful testing of the Pink Line 5000-series cars in four car consists during August, the Pink Line reverted to running four cars during most times of the day. Some of

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876-735: The Blue Line . This is accomplished by routing all but 12 trains per day coming from O'Hare [REDACTED] to Forest Park and adding entirely new service from the 54th/Cermak terminal in Cicero to The Loop via the Paulina Connector and the Lake Street branch of the Green Line . Pink Line trains operate clockwise on the Inner Loop track via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells before returning to 54th/Cermak. On December 12, 2006,

949-709: The Des Plaines River . The line runs in the median of the Kennedy Expressway ( Interstate 90 ) until a point southeast of Addison Street, making stops at Cumberland , Harlem , Jefferson Park , Montrose , Irving Park and Addison . Between Montrose and Irving Park, the line tunnels beneath an express lane exit. South of Addison Street, the line descends into a subway and turns south under Kimball Avenue. The line travels under Kimball Avenue and Milwaukee Avenues through Logan Square , making stops at Belmont and Logan Square . South of Logan Square,

1022-712: The Hollywood Freeway in 1952, but the Pacific Electric service was an interurban streetcar rather than true rapid transit.) The new line connected with the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway at the Chicago River and extended westward to Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park. Loomis Ramp, built at this same time, permitted Douglas trains to be rerouted through the subway as well combining the Logan Square, Garfield Park (now Congress) and Douglas routes into

1095-1058: The Humboldt Park Branch , splitting off from the Logan Square Branch at Damen and running west alongside North Avenue to a terminal at Lawndale Avenue. This was followed by still another addition when the Douglas Park Branch was placed in operation as far south as 18th Street on April 28, 1896. As the southwest area of the city developed, the Douglas Park Branch was extended from 18th Street to Western Avenue in September 1896; to Pulaski Road in June 1902; to Cicero Avenue in December 1907; to Central Avenue in August 1912; to 62nd Avenue in August 1915, and to Oak Park Avenue in Berwyn on March 16, 1924. The Douglas Park branch

1168-492: The North Lawndale , Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods of Chicago, with stops at Kostner, Pulaski, Central Park, Kedzie, California, Western and Damen. The line turns north near Paulina Street stopping at 18th and Polk stations, then crosses over the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290). Here, a two track non-revenue branch diverges that descends to the expressway to provide a non-revenue track connection to

1241-465: The "Circle Line", which would utilize segments of existing rail lines to keep new construction to a minimum, in addition to 6.6 miles (10.6 km) of new subway and elevated segments to the 'L' system to complete the circumferential route. Maps additionally suggested increasing the route length of two lines: Possibly running the Brown Line from its terminus at Kimball, to the Loop, and continuing to

1314-472: The 5000-series cars that had been assigned to the line, were reassigned to the Green Line. The last 2600-series cars were removed from service from the Pink Line in June 2012, making the Pink Line the first line to be fully equipped with the 5000-series cars. Most of the Pink Line's 2600-series cars were reassigned to the Blue Line to replace its 2200-series cars. In 2002, the CTA proposed the creation of

1387-414: The 54th/Cermak terminus via the current Pink Line route from the Loop; and Orange Line service from Kimball , to the Loop, and continuing to Midway Airport via the current Orange Line route. These considerations have been undergoing study and analysis. After stopping at Washington/Wells, Pink Line trains return to Clinton, then make all stops back to 54th/Cermak. The 54th Yard is a CTA rail yard for

1460-403: The Blue Line (14.6 miles (23.5 km)) and comprises both the oldest and newest segments of the entire route. The line starts at O'Hare International Airport in an underground station below the airport's main parking garage, with direct pedestrian access to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. The line emerges in the median of the O'Hare main access road ( Interstate 190 ) just northwest of Terminal 5, about

1533-517: The Blue Line in between the Logan Square and Belmont stations. In the future this will mean that the CTA will be the largest rapid transit system with 4G coverage in subway tunnels and stations, this is targeted for the end of 2015. The Cermak branch , formerly known as the Douglas branch, was once operated as part of the Blue Line. On April 28, 2008, the CTA eliminated Blue Line service on

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1606-564: The Blue Line on September 17, 2018. In addition to the mix of the 2600-series and 3200-series cars, two 5000-series trainsets assigned to the Pink Line make trips on the Blue Line during weekday rush hours, although these cars remain officially assigned to the Pink Line and are operated by Pink Line operators. The Blue Line is the successor to the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad , which built

1679-526: The Blue Line ranges between 3–4 tph. The Blue Line is operated with the 2600-series , 3200-series , and 7000-series railcars. In 2018, some of the 2600-series cars from the Blue Line fleet were replaced with the recently rehabbed 3200-series cars from the Brown and Orange Lines , with some of the 2600-series cars being reassigned to the Orange Line to replace them. These cars entered service on

1752-547: The Blue Line. It continues on the Paulina Connector to share tracks with the Green Line on Lake Street with stops at Ashland, Morgan and Clinton, before operating around the Loop clockwise. Until 1996, the Cermak branch was known as the Douglas branch, for Douglas Park along its route. Originally, Douglas trains were operated by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated directly into the Loop by means of

1825-428: The CTA board approved a six-month extension to the trial period before making a decision on whether or not to make the changes permanent, and another 180-day extension was added to the trial in June 2007. On December 4, 2008, CTA announced its decision to make the Pink Line permanent. The Pink Line operates between 54th/Cermak and the Loop weekdays from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m., and weekends from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Trains run on

1898-536: The CTA color-coded the lines, placing the Douglas branch as part of the Blue Line . In 1995, the A/B service was abandoned and all trains stop at every station, which does not affect the service of the stations on the Douglas branch. In 1996, the CTA changed the name of the branch to the Cermak branch , although Chicagoans still use the name "Douglas" to refer to the line. In 1998, the branch lost its 24-hour service, along with

1971-516: The Cermak Branch elevated structure. This ramp was formerly used in revenue service from 1958 to 2008 when the Blue Line operated over the Cermak branch and the Forest Park branch. With the replacement of Cermak branch Blue Line service with the Pink Line, the ramp is now non-revenue trackage used for the transfer of 5000 series trains that the Blue Line borrows from the Pink Line for weekday rush hour service. The Forest Park branch remains in

2044-474: The Cermak branch, having been replaced by the Pink Line . The Loomis ramp that connects the Congress branch to the Cermak branch remains intact for non-revenue equipment moves as the only track connection between the Blue Line and the rest of the system. On April 26, 1998, the Douglas Branch lost its overnight (owl) and weekend service and began operating between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m. on weekdays only as

2117-653: The Douglas branch and to make the Pink Line permanent. For years, there has been discussions of extending the O'Hare terminus of the Blue Line westward to Schaumburg , but that has been changed, due to recent developments involving the planning of the Metra STAR Line and various other transportation projects. However, in 2008, the Regional Transit Authority revealed a plan to the RTA board to expand commuter rail and bus service, which included

2190-515: The Douglas branch were operated via the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway to the city's Northwest Side and to O'Hare [REDACTED] . The Douglas branch was re-named the Cermak branch in the mid-1990s. The entire Cermak branch is ADA accessible. In January 2006, the CTA held hearings on its proposal to reroute trains from 54th/Cermak via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street Green Line tracks, then operating around

2263-420: The Douglas branch would now be "B" and the Congress branch would now be "A". In 1973, due to budget cuts, the 50th Avenue station closed. In 1983, Polk and Cicero were rebuilt to make them ADA accessible for passengers with disabilities. The poorly utilized Laramie station was closed to accelerate service the following year. In 1993, 18th was rebuilt to provide access for passengers with disabilities and

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2336-422: The Forest Park and 54th/Cermak terminals. Due to community fears that the Pink Line would not be enough, however, the CTA decided to retain limited Douglas Branch Blue Line service during weekday rush hours. On February 15, 2006, the CTA approved the separate operation of the Douglas Branch plan. All non-rush hour trains would all be routed via the Loop, Green Line and Paulina Connector. During rush hour, service

2409-506: The Forest Park branch, 9 in the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway and 13 on the O'Hare branch). 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 72,475 passengers boarding each weekday in 2023. Chicago's Blue Line and Red Line offer 24-hour service, every day, year-round. This makes Chicago, New York City, and Copenhagen

2482-498: The Loop clockwise for the first time since Douglas trains began using the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway in downtown Chicago on June 22, 1958. This would allow a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Branch, since service would no longer be divided between the Forest Park and 54th/Cermak terminals. The CTA has also promised that service to/from 54th/Cermak would be increased 100% during weekday rush hours. At

2555-602: The Loop at the southwest corner. With opening of the Dearborn Subway, the old elevated alignment between Evergreen Portal and Marshfield Junction was decommissioned, used only for moving out-of-service rail cars. The northern section of the connection between Evergreen Avenue and Lake Street was demolished in the 1960s, leaving the Lake Street to Douglas Branch section—better known as the Paulina Connector—the only section still in operation. The Humboldt Park Branch

2628-418: The Loop. East of Clark/Lake, the tracks swing south under Dearborn Street, with a continuous platform similar to the continuous platform used in the adjacent State Street subway , with stops at Washington , Monroe , and Jackson . South of Jackson, the line turns west under Ida B. Wells Drive (with stops at LaSalle and Clinton , which is two blocks south of Union Station ). The tracks then emerge from

2701-508: The Metropolitan's main line . Construction of the Congress Street Superhighway (known now as the Eisenhower Expressway , I-290) in the 1950s required the removal of the Metropolitan's main line, resulting in Douglas trains being routed to the Loop via the Paulina Connector and the Lake Street 'L' similar to the current service. Upon completion of the new Congress branch in the median of the expressway, all trains of

2774-594: The Pink Line in Cicero, Illinois . Currently, 5000-series railcars are stored here. Blue Line (CTA) The Blue Line is a 26.93-mile-long (43.34 km) Chicago "L" line which runs 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 in Forest Park , with a total of 33 stations (11 on

2847-581: The Purple and Green lines. On September 10, 2001, the CTA began a $ 363 million renovation project of the branch which was completed on January 8, 2005. As of today, all eleven stations on the branch are ADA accessible. The current Pink Line route was assigned to the Douglas branch on June 25, 2006. The CTA ended Blue Line service on the Douglas branch on April 25, 2008. Originally known as 56th Avenue Originally known as 52nd Avenue Originally known as 12th Street Pink Line (CTA) The Pink Line, which

2920-508: The current color naming system was adopted in 1993. Blue Line service on the Douglas segment was replaced in April 2008 by the Pink Line . The Blue Line is one of five "L" lines that run into Chicago suburbs, with the others being the Green, Purple , Pink, and Yellow lines. The Blue Line runs in three suburbs: Rosemont, Oak Park, and Forest Park. The O'Hare branch is the longest section of

2993-482: The establishment of skip/stop A/B, the Chicago Transit Authority l, which had taken over operation of the "L" system in 1947, streamlined service on the line and shut down five stations: 14th Place, Homan, Drake, Lawndale and Kenton, while opening a station at Central Park . On February 3, 1952, service on the Douglas line was suspended to all stations west of 54th/Cermak . Service to these areas

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3066-475: The first section between Jefferson Park and River Road opening on February 27, 1983, and the final section to O'Hare on September 3, 1984. On February 21, 1993, the CTA adopted a color-coded naming system to the rapid transit system, and the West-Northwest route (O'Hare-Congress/Douglas) became the Blue Line. On October 15, 2015, the CTA announced the completed installation of 4G wireless service on

3139-640: The future because that particular stretch of the line, between Jefferson Park and Harlem, is the second longest on the 'L' system without a station, behind the gap on the Yellow Line between Oakton-Skokie and Howard , although the Yellow Line was designed this way to quickly shuttle passengers to/from the Howard station ( the Howard station serves the Red and Purple Lines). In December 2016, Pace introduced

3212-429: The initial time of proposal, this plan was often referred to as the "Silver Line", as the original idea was to use gray as the line color on printed materials and give it the route name of "Silver". In February 2006, the CTA approved the separate plan. Non-rush hour trains would be routed via the Loop, Green Line tracks and Paulina Connector. During weekday rush hours, service would be available on this routing as well as

3285-406: The intersection of Ashland and Milwaukee Avenues, the Blue Line descends underground, swings over to Milwaukee Avenue, and continues southeast towards downtown under Milwaukee Avenue (with stops at Division , Chicago and Grand ). The line then turns east under Lake Street, crossing beneath the Chicago River , and makes a stop at Clark/Lake , where in-system transfers are provided to 'L' trains on

3358-534: The line emerges above ground onto an elevated structure parallel to Milwaukee Avenue. This section of structure, built in 1895 as part of the Metropolitan Elevated's Logan Square branch , is the oldest portion of the Blue Line, and the sole section of the line on an elevated viaduct. The three stations on this section ( California , Western , and Damen ) are also the only three stations on the line to use side platforms instead of island platforms. At

3431-486: The median of the expressway through the west side of Chicago until it reaches a portal at Lotus Avenue. At this point the tracks pass beneath the eastbound expressway lanes and before emerging on the south side of the expressway next to the CSX Transportation ( Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad ) tracks. The route passes through Oak Park and into Forest Park . In the vicinity of Desplaines Avenue

3504-494: The midday and nighttime. On Saturdays, service runs 8tph in the early morning, then increase to 10 tph during the day, then 8 tph at night. On Sundays, service runs 6–8 tph early morning, then increase to 10 tph all day, then 6 tph at night. On the weekends, every other Blue Line train operates between O'Hare and UIC-Halsted only during the daytime, doubling the headways up to 5 tph. Between approximately midnight and 5:30 a.m., night owl service on

3577-599: The north of the Blue Line portals, which extend only a few dozen feet beyond the portals. These were intended to accommodate future expansion, including a new CA&E line to a new terminal. Among those plans were a loop subway system via Congress, Dearborn, Lake, and Clinton when the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway was completed between 1951 and 1958, and a shuttle subway route under Jackson Street to Grant Park (1958, "New Horizons for Chicago Metropolitan Area", CTA ). Between 1968 and 1978,

3650-592: The on-highway BRT I-90 Express service. The successor to the Blue Line Extension and the STAR Line, this service serves as an extension of the Blue Line and provides rapid service along I-90 all the way to Elgin. The surface right-of-way for the Congress Branch, including overcrossings, undergrade bridges and two short tunnels under the expressway, contains space for one extra track between Forest Park and Kenton Avenue and two extra tracks from Kenton to

3723-542: The only three cities in the world to offer local nonstop rail service throughout their city limits 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Blue Line is one of two lines in Chicago with more than one station having the same name, with the Green Line being the other. (The Blue Line has two stations at Harlem Avenue: one in the Kennedy Expressway on the Northwest side and one on the Eisenhower Expressway in Forest Park, Illinois . It also has two stations on Western Avenue: one on

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3796-598: The opening of four new stations: California , Kedzie , Homan, and Clifton Park (Drake). On May 22, 1907, the Douglas Park branch was extended to 46th Avenue (Kenton Avenue), which is the Chicago city limits. The station was a few meters from the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric which was one of the largest employers in the area of Chicago at the time. On December 16, 1907, the Douglas Park branch

3869-608: The original route via the Dearborn Street subway every half hour. These changes went into effect beginning June 25, 2006, with the trial period scheduled to end 180 days later on December 22, 2006. In March 2006, the Chicago Transit Authority announced that of the top three colors, Pink , Gold and Silver , Pink had received the most votes in a write-in essay contest for Chicago-area schoolchildren in kindergarten through 8th grade—a $ 1,000 savings bond

3942-549: The second through service in Chicago, the Congress/Douglas-Milwaukee Line. A five-mile (8 km) extension of the route via a short subway connection and the Kennedy Expressway median from Logan Square to Jefferson Park opened on February 1, 1970. It was also built by the City of Chicago using federal money. Just before Logan Square, trains diverted off of the old elevated structure and entered

4015-608: The segment between downtown and O'Hare, and one immediately west of downtown.) The Blue Line also has two in-system transfers (both in the Loop), and does not share tracks with any other 'L' line. Before the adoption of color-coded names, the Blue Line was referred to as the West-Northwest Route, or more commonly, the O'Hare-Congress-Douglas route for its three branches. The Congress and Douglas branches were renamed for their terminals, Forest Park and 54th/Cermak , when

4088-407: The service cut was an experiment, the CTA immediately covered Blue Line stations' directional signage for trains to 54th/Cermak with paint rather than temporary covering, suggesting it was a permanent discontinuation instead of a temporary one. All Douglas Branch operations are now served by the Pink Line. On December 4, 2008, CTA announced its decision to permanently discontinue Blue Line service on

4161-471: The subway corridor plan under Monroe Street was never officially canceled when the Crosstown and Loop Subway projects were deferred in 1979. It remains to this day an active program. Between Grand/Milwaukee and Clark/Lake in the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, two more stub tunnels exist, continuing west under Lake Street while the in-service tracks turn northwest under Milwaukee Avenue. This junction (actually

4234-424: The subway under Milwaukee and Kedzie Avenues to a portal just south of Addison Street, then emerged in the median of the Kennedy Expressway to the temporary terminal at Jefferson Park. The increased ridership that resulted from the extension prompted the CTA to build the second phase of the project, and extend the line the rest of the way to O'Hare. In March 1980, construction began on the O'Hare Airport extension, with

4307-557: The tracks rise and make an S-curve north over the expressway before terminating at the Forest Park station. Like the Red Line , the Blue Line runs 24 hours a day. Most trains run between O'Hare and Forest Park stations, but others terminate at a different station along the line. On weekdays, service runs very frequently (10–20 tph (trains per hour)) during rush hour (with some trains running short-turn services between UIC-Halsted and Jefferson Park or Rosemont), and 6–8 tph during

4380-615: The tunnel portals at UIC-Halsted. It was intended that the interurban Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, which had utilized the Garfield Park Elevated until 1953 to reach its Loop terminal at Wells Street, would use these extra tracks. However, the CA&;E ceased passenger service on July 3, 1957, before track construction had started. The CTA also considered plans of its own to add these as express tracks (and service) over

4453-509: The west suburb Cicero, Illinois . The branch operates from 4:05 a.m. to 1:25 a.m., weekdays, and Saturdays from 5:05 a.m. to 1:25 a.m., and Sundays from 5:00 a.m. to 1:25 a.m., including holidays. Initially known as the Douglas Park branch , construction began in June 1893 and the line was inaugurated on April 28, 1896, between Marshfield Avenue and 18th Street . The branch started off with four stations and

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4526-606: The years, as well as a rerouting of the Lake Elevated onto the Paulina Elevated (today's Pink Line ) into a new quadrant of the junction with the Douglas Line at Racine, but these plans were discarded for alternative plans and today the system has an entirely separate line in the system, the Pink Line. The dual portals of the Congress Branch at UIC-Halsted are actually quadruple. Two extra portals exist to

4599-412: Was available on the new route as well as the existing route via the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway. These changes were scheduled to be implemented for a 180-day trial period beginning June 25, 2006, and after their evaluation in early 2007, the Pink Line remained in service. Beginning April 28, 2008, the CTA began a six-month experimental ceasing of Blue Line operations on the Douglas. Despite maintaining that

4672-413: Was awarded to a selected essay writer who advocated for the color pink. The Pink Line began operation in June 2006, using the rebuilt Paulina Connector, which had not been used in regular revenue service for 48 years. The service, which was originally set up as a temporary service to be run for a trial period of 180 days (6 months), doubles service on both the Douglas branch and the Forest Park branch of

4745-426: Was completed from Damen Avenue to Logan Square on May 25, 1895. The next stage in the development of the West Side 'L' came on June 19, 1895, when the Garfield Park Branch was added, extending west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street and Harrison Street from Marshfield Avenue to Cicero Avenue. An extension of service over the tracks of the Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad to a new terminal at Desplaines Avenue

4818-467: Was cut back to a full-time shuttle between Damen and Lawndale, and discontinued a year later on May 3, 1952. The Garfield Park elevated was replaced by the Congress line on June 22, 1958, pioneering the world's first use of rail rapid transit and a multi-lane automobile expressway in the same grade-separated right-of-way. ( Pacific Electric Railway "Red Car" tracks ran in the median of the Cahuenga Parkway in Los Angeles from 1944 until its expansion into

4891-441: Was established on March 11, 1905. A subsequent extension to Westchester opened on October 1, 1926, over tracks that had originally been built by the CA&E with the intentions of building a bypass route. (Low ridership would prompt the CTA to discontinue service on the Westchester extension on December 9, 1951. ) Another branch line was added to the rapidly growing Metropolitan on July 29, 1895, when trains began operating over

4964-463: Was extended to Cicero (then 48th Avenue ), extending service to the town of Cicero, Illinois. On August 20, 1910, the Douglas Park branch was extended to Laramie (then 52nd Avenue Avenue). On August 1, 1912, service was extended to 56th Avenue (Central Avenue) and extended again to Lombard Avenue exactly three years later. The final stretch on the branch was to Oak Park Avenue, in Berwyn , which opened on March 16, 1924. On December 9, 1951, during

5037-409: Was later cut back to 54th Avenue in Cicero . The Metropolitan West Side Elevated began service onto the Loop on October 11, 1897, and a rush period stub terminal at Wells Street was added October 3, 1904. For much of the early 20th century and through the 1940s, service on the West Side Elevated lines went unchanged until 1947, when the Chicago Transit Authority took control of the 'L', initiating

5110-483: Was once the Blue Line 's Cermak branch, begins at 54th Avenue and Cermak Road in Cicero (5400 W. – 2200 S.). The line runs on at-grade tracks parallel to Cermak Road from the terminal to about a quarter-mile (400 m) east of Cicero Avenue, then runs diagonally northeast until it reaches a corridor parallel and adjacent to 21st Street at Kostner Avenue. It then continues east between 21st Street and Cullerton Street, climbing up from at-grade tracks to elevated tracks, through

5183-430: Was replaced by a bus route. The stations at Roosevelt and Douglas Park were closed three months later. On June 22, 1958, Douglas trains were rerouted to the West-Northwest route, the Congress branch, the new line in the middle of the Eisenhower Expressway and connecting routes to the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway , heading north to Logan Square . The new system changed the service and it was decided that all stations on

5256-463: Was restored. In January 2005, the CTA held hearings on a proposal to reroute Douglas Branch service via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street Green Line , carrying Douglas trains to and around the elevated Loop for the first time since 1958. It was the first stage of what became the Pink Line . This would have allowed a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Branch, since service would no longer be divided between

5329-427: Was the shortest of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated . Construction time was longer than in other sections. On August 7, 1896, the Douglas Park branch was extended to Western . On June 29, 1900, the City of Chicago approved an extension of the branch to Pulaski (then 40th Avenue ) and construction took place in mid-June 1901. On March 10, 1902, the Douglas Park branch was extended to Lawndale Avenue, which allowed

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