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72-523: The Orange Line begins in an open cut at a station on the east side of Midway International Airport . From here, the line rises to an elevated viaduct at 55th Street and continues northeast towards the city on railroad right-of-way. Near the intersection of 49th Street and Lawndale Avenue, the line turns east along a CSX Transportation right-of-way to a point east of Western Boulevard, then curves north and northwest on embankment structure along CSX right-of-way to Western Boulevard and Pershing Road. From here,

144-414: A $ 2.5 billion deal to privatize the airport via a 99-year lease fell through when the consortium could not put together financing. The city would have kept $ 125 million in the down payment. The consortium operating under the name of Midway Investment and Development Company LLC consisted of Vancouver Airport Services , Citi Infrastructure Investors, and Boston's John Hancock Life Insurance . It

216-484: A 40-year lease. Construction began on expansions of the security checkpoint and main parking garage. The bridge spanning Cicero Ave is being widened from 50 feet to over 400 feet, allowing up to 17 security lanes and a streamlined queue. As the current terminal opened just a few months prior to the September 11th attacks, the security area was quickly rendered too small for the new screening measures and subsequently

288-779: A combination of the Belt Railway and either Cicero or Kostner Avenues. The corridors selected for further study are Cicero Ave ( Bus Rapid Transit ) and Belt/Cicero or Belt/Kostner ( Heavy Rail Transit ). In April 2009, the Cicero Avenue/Belt Railway corridor was chosen as the most viable option and advanced in the Alternatives Analysis process. By December 2009, the CTA had identified the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) as

360-482: A commuter shuttle connecting the airport to Manteno and Bourbonnais in Kankakee County . On December 8, 1972, United Air Lines Flight 553 , a Boeing 737-200 , crashed into a residential area outside Midway during landing. The crash of the 737-200 killed 43 of the 61 on board, and two on the ground. One of the victims on the plane was Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt . She

432-451: A decision that exposes wayward pedestrians to the risk of electrocution. A fatal accident in 1977 involving an intoxicated man, who did not speak English and was unable to read the posted warning signage, attempted to urinate on the third rail at the Kedzie station eventually resulted in an Illinois Supreme Court decision in 1992 affirming a verdict of $ 1.5 million against CTA. After

504-774: A few flights per week. Unfortunately, Midway being surrounded by buildings on all sides meant that the airport was running out of room; its runways were too short to safely handle larger four-engine jetliners (the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 ) that appeared in 1959. Instead, every Chicago jet flight was directed to use O'Hare, which had opened to airlines in 1955. Lighter aircraft like turboprop Lockheed L-188 Electras and Vickers Viscounts could have continued to fly out of Midway, but O'Hare's new terminal opened in 1962, allowing airlines to consolidate their flights. From July 1962 until United returned in July 1964, Midway's only scheduled airline

576-642: A food court in Concourse A utilizing previously unused space built during the 2010 rebuild of the Gate A4A/B connecting walkway. The program is the largest capital improvements project at the airport since the 2001 terminal redevelopment and has been completed All terminals and hangars were on the square periphery. By the late 1970s, the shorter north–south and east–west runway pairs had been closed, though some were converted to taxiways. The other four runways remain in use, all strengthened and enhanced, but about

648-616: A fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River . At this point, the line enters the joint Illinois Central and Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad right-of-way continuing on embankment to Canal Street. There the line again transitions to the elevated structure to bridge Canal Street, Cermak Road and the Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad tracks then curves east to run along the south side of 18th Street, crossing over

720-745: A new bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River was completed in the 1970s. The Western and Merchandise Mart stations were rebuilt in the 1980s. Prior to the start of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project, these two stations, along with the Kimball terminal were the only ADA accessible stations on the Brown Line outside of the Loop. The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project which ran from 2004 to 2009

792-450: A new terminal station in the vicinity of Ford City Mall. The CTA planned to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and complete preliminary engineering. However, the extension was canceled. After stopping at Adams/Wabash, Orange Line trains return to Roosevelt, then make all stops back to Midway. Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport ( IATA : MDW , ICAO : KMDW , FAA LID : MDW )

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864-411: A second carrier, Volaris , began flights between Guadalajara and Midway. Starting in early 2009, a construction project added a new walkway and food court to Concourse A. The project also connected gates A4A and A4B to the main A concourse. Expansions were completed in the spring of 2010. Chicago has considered privatizing the airport, but the deals fell through in 2009 and 2013. On April 20, 2009,

936-665: A stop is made at the Merchandise Mart before crossing the Chicago River on the upper level of the Wells Street Bridge before joining the Loop Elevated at Lake Street . Operating counter-clockwise, Brown Line trains operate around the Loop on the Outer track via Wells-Van Buren-Wabash-Lake, serving all Loop stations, before the return trip back north to the Kimball terminal. There are three sections of

1008-673: A week.) More construction was funded in part by $ 1 million from the Works Progress Administration ; the airport expanded to fill the square mile in 1938–41 after a court ordered the Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad to reroute tracks that had crossed the square along the northern edge of the older field. The March 1939 OAG shows 47 weekday departures: 13 on United, 13 American, 9 TWA, 4 Northwest, and two each on Eastern, Braniff, Pennsylvania Central , and C&S . New York's airport (Newark, then LaGuardia by

1080-422: Is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois , located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district. Established in 1927, Midway served as Chicago's primary airport until the opening of O'Hare International Airport in 1944. Today, Midway is one of the busiest airports in the nation and the second-busiest airport both in the Chicago metropolitan area and

1152-548: Is generally provided by four cars, although this may be extended to eight cars due to special events and holidays. The Northwestern Elevated Railroad opened the line, originally known as the Ravenswood line, between the existing main line and Western Avenue in Lincoln Square on May 18, 1907. The route was completed to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907. The Kimball terminal was completely renovated and

1224-606: Is the third-busiest 'L' route, with an average of 33,302 passengers boarding each weekday in 2023. Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Route ; specifically, the series of stations from Belmont to Kimball were called the Ravenswood branch. Accordingly, the Kimball-Belmont shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle. The Brown Line begins on

1296-584: The Blue Line , with some of the Orange Line's 2600-series cars being transferred to the Brown Line. Beginning in March 2008, the Brown Line began running eight cars during rush hours, since all of the reopened or renovated stations have been rebuilt to accommodate eight cars. Prior to this, most stations on the line couldn't berth longer than six cars. Early morning, midday, late evening, and weekend service

1368-708: The Damen station, the route turns south, about one-half block parallel and west of Metra 's Union Pacific North railroad line and Ravenswood Avenue to a point south of the Addison station. Here the route turns east again and runs parallel to Roscoe Street past Sheffield Avenue where it once again turns south at Clark Junction to join the four-track North Side elevated line in Lakeview . From just north of Belmont station south to Armitage , Brown and Red Line trains operate side by side, with Purple Line Express trains sharing

1440-711: The Red Line and the Rock Island District tracks near Wentworth Avenue, before joining the South Side Elevated at a flying junction between 16th and 17th Streets. The ballasted track ends and the timber deck begins here. Orange Line trains share the tracks with the Green Line operating from this junction to Tower 12 at the southeast corner of the Loop . Orange Line trains operate clockwise around

1512-767: The Stevenson Expressway , and Midway saw the return of major airlines that year, with 1,663,074 passengers on smaller-capacity, shorter range twin-jet and trijet airliners such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 , BAC One-Eleven , Boeing 727 , and Boeing 737 that could use Midway's runways, which the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 could not. In May 1968 there were 22 scheduled departures: six United 727s to MSP, DCA and LGA, 12 Northwest 727s to MSP and CLE, one Delta DC-9 to STL and three Ozark FH227s. The December 1970 OAG shows 86 weekday arrivals (77 jet) on 13 fixed-wing airlines from 31 airports, but

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1584-477: The 5000-series cars, leaving only the Blue and Brown Lines as the only lines not to operate the 5000-series cars. However, the assignment of 5000-series cars to the Orange Line is now unlikely, since delivery of all 5000-series cars is complete and are completely assigned to all other lines except for the Blue and Brown Lines, thus the assignment of 2600-series cars to the Orange Line is now a permanent assignment until

1656-551: The August 1974 shows 14 arrivals (all jet) on four airlines, and in 1976–79 Midway had only the two or three Delta DC-9s from St Louis. Midway Airlines arrived on October 31, 1979, with DC-9 nonstops to Kansas City, Detroit and Cleveland Lakefront; they expanded greatly in the 1980s. Their September 1989 timetable shows 117 weekday departures to 29 cities, plus 108 departures on their commuter affiliates to 22 more cities. Midway ceased flying in 1991 due to financial challenges. In 1982,

1728-619: The Belt/Cicero route. According to a CTA report, The LPA would operate in a trench along the BRC right-of-way between the existing Midway station and approximately 6400 South, where it would begin to transition to an elevated structure above Marquette Road, where it would curve to the southwest over the BRC Clearing Yard and then continue south on elevated structure in the median of Cicero Avenue. The Orange Line extension would end at

1800-684: The Brown Line which includes the Ravenswood Branch that connects from Kimball Avenue station to Belmont Avenue station; merging from the Purple Line Express. Another is the North Side Main Line which connects from Belmont Avenue station to the Merchandise Mart before entering the Loop. The Brown Line enters the loop going counter-clockwise from Washington/​Wells to Clark/Lake and then exits

1872-533: The CTA system since the extension of the Blue Line to O'Hare International Airport in September 1984. But its planning dates back to the late 1930s when the City of Chicago proposed a high speed subway extension along Wells-Archer-Cicero between the Loop and 63rd Street and Cicero Avenue near Midway (then called Chicago's Municipal Airport). It would be another four decades before Chicago transit planners became serious about providing rapid transit service to this area of

1944-536: The Grey Goose Airlines, the latter under lease to Stout Air Lines . The fire followed an explosion of undetermined cause in the Universal hangar. In 1931, a new passenger terminal opened at 62nd St; the following year the airport claimed to be the " World's Busiest " with over 100,846 passengers on 60,947 flights. (The July 1932 Official Aviation Guide (OAG) shows 206 scheduled airline departures

2016-641: The Harold Washington Library station; whereas several Orange Line trains bound for Kimball continue as the Brown Line after stopping at Adams/Wabash station. While this service does not have an official name, the CTA internally refers to it as the Tiger Line (due to the two colors resembling the stripes of a tiger ). The Brown Line is operated with the 2600-series and 3200-series railcars. The Brown Line operates using eight cars during weekday rush hours and four cars at other times. In

2088-538: The January 1951 C&GS approach chart shows four parallel pairs of runways, all 4240 ft or less except for 5730-ft runway 13R (current runway 13C) and 5230-ft runway 4R. The April 1957 OAG shows 414 weekday fixed-wing departures from Midway: 83 American , 83 United , 56 TWA , 40 Capital , 35 North Central , 28 Delta , 27 Eastern , 22 Northwest , 19 Ozark , 11 Braniff , 5 Trans-Canada , and 5 Lake Central . Air France , Lufthansa , and REAL (of Brazil) had

2160-535: The Loop. Midway Airport is the end of the line, which crosses the southwest part of the city before circling around the Loop. Unlike the CTA Blue Line, which runs 24 hours a day, every day, the Orange Line runs from about 4:00 am to 1:00 am, just shy of 24 hours, at an average of 8-minute intervals. During overnight periods, the N62 Archer bus is available as an alternative. Once the train departs,

2232-473: The Midway Line opened, the CTA decided to adopt a color-coded naming system for the rapid transit network (like Boston, Washington, D.C., and Cleveland) and named it the Orange Line. Destination signs on CTA trains have Ford City . The Ford City Mall is about two miles (3 km) south of Midway Airport, and it was originally planned to be the line's terminal. Because there was no funding available,

Orange Line (CTA) - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-519: The Red Line as more 5000-series cars were delivered and assigned to the Red Line, replacing the Orange Line's remaining 2400-series cars until the Red Line was fully equipped with the 5000-series cars. The last 2400-series cars were retired from service in October 2014. After the Red Line was fully equipped with the 5000-series cars, the CTA planned on replacing the Orange Line's 2600-series cars with

2376-579: The US FAA Chart Supplement , are restricted from use by large commercial aircraft except in emergency. Runway 13L/31R was permanently closed after 82 years on August 9, 2023, and was converted to Taxiway H. Midway has 43 aircraft gates on three concourses. The Chicago Transit Authority operates the Orange Line "L" and multiple bus routes to the airport. Pace also operates numerous bus routes. River Valley Metro operates

2448-675: The airport, noting that the process was no longer competitive after one of the two finalists had backed out. The one remaining was Great Lakes Airport Alliance – a partnership of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and Ferrovial . Macquarie was one of the investors in the Chicago Skyway. The group that had backed out was a group that included the Australia-based Industry Funds Management and Manchester Airports Group . The Great Lakes proposal had been valued at $ 2 billion and would have involved

2520-688: The airport. ATA Airlines (ATA) took over Chicago Express Airlines , also known as ATA Connection , whose primary hub was at Midway. Chicago Express served as a regional airline connecting to airports around the Great Lakes regions. Following the September 11 attacks , which resulted in a drop in passenger service, along with other problems for the airline industry, both Vanguard and National ceased operations at Midway and became defunct in 2002, with MetroJet being dissolved and refolded into US Airways' main line in late 2001. In 2002, Midway welcomed

2592-445: The barrier fence of the airport, and came to rest at the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue bordering the airport at its northwest corner. A 6-year-old boy was killed as a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by the plane after it skidded into the street. Source: Civil Aeronautics Board archives, NTSB records. Note: Prior to 1941, the runways did not have numerical designations. The runway now designated 13C/31C

2664-558: The city decided to cancel the high priced and controversial Crosstown Expressway and Franklin Street subway projects. Federal funding for the project was secured by U.S. Representative William Lipinski as a favor from then-President Ronald Reagan , who wanted to thank Lipinski for his vote to provide aid to the Nicaraguan contras . In 1987, construction of the $ 500 million transit line began and continued until fall 1993. When

2736-462: The city decided to end the line at Midway Airport. The CTA analyzed the cost of an Orange Line extension to Ford City in 2008 and determined that the project would cost approximately $ 200 million. Community meetings were held in neighborhoods surrounding Midway and Ford City to judge the level of public support for the extension. The four corridors being studied for the Orange Line extension include alignments along Cicero Avenue, Pulaski Road, and

2808-504: The city leased the airport and named it Chicago Municipal Airport on December 12, 1927. By 1928, the airport had twelve hangars and four runways, which were lit for night operations. A major fire early on June 25, 1930, destroyed two hangars and 27 aircraft, "12 of them tri-motor passenger planes." The loss was estimated at more than two million dollars. The hangars destroyed belonged to the Universal Air Lines, Inc. and

2880-570: The city of Chicago purchased Midway Airport from the Chicago Board of Education for $ 16 million. Three years later, Southwest Airlines began operations at Midway. Midway was a focus city for Vanguard Airlines from 1997 to 2000. The Chicago Transit Authority displaced the Carlton Midway Inn to open a new CTA terminal at the airport on October 31, 1993, for the new Chicago 'L' Orange Line that connected Midway to

2952-632: The city. In 1979, the City began the Southwest Transit Project, which proposed extending the CTA 'L' system to the Southwest Side of Chicago over existing railroad rights-of-way and newer elevated connections along the very busy Archer-49th-Cicero Corridor from the Loop to its originally planned terminus at the Ford City Mall. Funding for the project was made possible from Interstate Highway Transfer monies saved after

Orange Line (CTA) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-410: The day and ten minutes on Sundays during the day, then at nighttime every ten to twelve minutes. Late night service operates every fifteen minutes until the end of service, although late night trips from Kimball to Belmont stations operate every half hour Monday thru Saturday nights. During morning rush hour, several Brown Line trains bound for the Loop continue toward the Orange Line after stopping at

3096-692: The day, then 3–4 tph during late night hours. Sunday service runs 5 tph during the day, then 3–4 tph at night. The Orange Line is operated with 2600-series cars. From November 8, 2012, to October 31, 2014, some 2400-series railcars were assigned to the line. From the opening of the route to October 2018, 3200-series railcars were assigned to the line. Trains operate using eight cars during weekday rush hours and four cars during other times on weekdays and all day on weekends except for special events when eight cars may be required. Beginning in June 2014, CTA began to transfer some 2600-series cars to

3168-525: The delivery of the new 7000-series cars. Beginning September 2018, CTA began to transfer the Orange Line's 3200-series cars to the Blue Line. As of October 2018, the 3200-series cars no longer operate on the Orange Line. The Orange Line opened for service on October 31, 1993, and was the first all-new service in Chicago since the Dan Ryan Line opened in September 1969 and the first extension to

3240-492: The displaced landing thresholds, the runways have shorter distances available for landings than for takeoffs. 13C/31C, the longest runway, only has an available landing distance of 6,059 feet (1,847 m) in the southeast direction, and 5,826 feet (1,776 m) to the northwest. The largest aircraft normally seen at Midway is the Boeing 757 . Normally, commercial planes only take off from and land on runways 4R/22L and 13C/31C. The other runways are used by smaller aircraft and, per

3312-553: The end of 1939) was then the busiest airline airport in the United States, but Midway passed LaGuardia in 1948 and kept the title until 1960. The record-breaking 1945 Japan–Washington flight of B-29s refueled at the airport on their way to Washington, DC. In July 1949, the airport was renamed after the Battle of Midway . That year, Midway saw 3.2 million passengers; passengers peaked at 10 million in 1959. The diagram on

3384-502: The inner loop – via Van Buren Street, Wells Street, Lake Street and Wabash Avenue – before returning to Midway. Along the Orange Line's main route there are seven stations. An eighth station is located at Roosevelt/Wabash on the South Side Elevated which Orange Line trains share with Green Line trains. A passenger tunnel connects this station with the Roosevelt/State subway station on the Red Line . A downtown superstation

3456-415: The line as an interim replacement for its 2400-series cars. The first batch of the Orange Line's 2600-series cars are reassignments from the Blue Line . The lost capacity on the Blue Line was made up from reassignment of newer 2600-series cars from the Red Line , as they were displaced by the new Bombardier -built 5000-series cars on the Red Line. The second batch of 2600-series cars are reassignments from

3528-517: The line rises on elevated structure again and makes a curve to cross Archer Avenue, the CSX tracks and Western Boulevard before descending onto Illinois Central Railroad right-of-way immediately east of Western Boulevard. Entering the IC right-of-way, the line again changes from elevated structure to surface level. The line continues on surface level to Ashland Avenue where it crosses a bridge over Bubbly Creek ,

3600-755: The loop, heading towards the Kimball Avenue station. The Brown Line operates between Kimball and the Loop weekdays and Saturdays from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and on Sundays from 5 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. The Brown Line Shuttle service runs only between Kimball and Belmont between 1:30 a.m. and 2:25 a.m. At Belmont, southbound riders can transfer to the 24-hour Red Line . On weekdays, service runs between three and eight minutes during rush hour, seven to eight minutes during midday, then six to twelve minutes during nighttime. On weekends, early morning service operates every fifteen minutes, then increases to seven to eight minutes on Saturdays during

3672-602: The main hub for Indianapolis -based ATA, but the airline announced in March 2008 that it would end all flights from Midway on June 7, 2008. Even before that could happen, though, ATA filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2008, and ceased all flights the following day. In November 2008, Porter Airlines , which flies between Midway and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , was the only international route served from Chicago–Midway after ATA Airlines , which had flights to Mexico , ceased operations in April that year. On December 13, 2010,

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3744-410: The meantime, CTA has completed the process of overhauling the 3200-series cars with color LED destination signs (similar to the 5000-series cars), new air conditioning systems, rebuilt propulsion systems, passenger door motors, and wheel/axle assemblies. The 3200-series rehabilitation began in 2015 and was completed in 2018. Later that year, some of the Brown Line's 3200-series cars were transferred to

3816-500: The new 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m ) Midway Airport terminal building opened, with larger ticket counters, spacious baggage claim areas, traveler information, and a short walking distance to gates. A 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m ) food court opened with Chicago-style food and retail options. The expansion project culminated with a short lived period of great airline diversity at Midway as Vanguard Airlines , National Airlines and AirTran Airways all expanded their services to

3888-579: The northwest side of Chicago, at the Kimball terminal in Albany Park , where there is a storage yard and servicing shop for the trains to the east of the passenger station. From there, trains operate over street level tracks between Leland and Eastwood Avenues to Rockwell , then ramp up to the elevated structure for the rest of the trip. The trains on the street-level section are powered by third rail rather than overhead catenary (the technology used by most other U.S. electric-powered at-grade rail systems),

3960-426: The number of trains that can cross the junction per hour. The project was criticized by 2015 mayoral candidate Chuy García and local residents in the Lakeview neighborhood who organized a referendum to stop it. The Federal Transit Administration passed the CTA's environmental review on the bypass in January 2016 and received a $ 1.1 billion federal grant the following year. Sixteen properties affected by

4032-485: The previous maximum of six-cars. Merchandise Mart was the only station not to receive any work as it had previously been reconstructed from 1987 to 1988, and was already ADA compliant and able to accommodate eight-car trains. Two stations, Kimball and Western , received small platform extensions but little other work, and the other 16 stations were completely rebuilt. The first two stations to be completed, Kedzie and Rockwell , reopened on August 16, 2006, and all of

4104-546: The return of international service after a 40-year absence with the opening of the new Federal Inspection Service facility in Concourse A. In June 2004, Mayor Daley and airline officials celebrated the completion of the Terminal Development Program. The project, designed by HNTB resulted in the addition of 14 gates (from 29 to 43). A new 6,300-space economy parking garage, including a new bridge and roadway for buses shuttling passengers to and from

4176-489: The same lengths as always. A short runway (13R/31L) for light aircraft was added in 1989. Chicago Midway International Airport covers just over one square mile (650 acres or 260 hectares) and has four active runways: Midway is surrounded by buildings and other development, so the landing thresholds of the runways are displaced to provide obstacle clearance. The FAA and the airlines ensure safety by adhering to calculated load limits and various weather minimums. Because of

4248-468: The state of Illinois, serving 22,050,489 passengers in 2023. Midway is a base for Southwest Airlines , which carries over 95% of the passengers at the airport. The airport's current name is in honor of the Battle of Midway . The now-defunct Midway Airlines , once headquartered at Midway, took its name from the airport. The airfield is located in a square mile bounded by 55th and 63rd Streets, and Central and Cicero Avenues . The current terminal complex

4320-456: The state. The Midway Airport parking garage opened in 1999, bringing covered parking to the airport for the first time. The garage is connected to the Midway terminal building for convenient access to ticket counters and baggage claim areas. Continuing with the expansion project, a pedestrian bridge over Cicero Avenue was built in 2000, connecting the new terminal to the new concourses. In 2001

4392-423: The stations had reopened by July 30, 2009, when the new Wellington station entered service. The project was completed on December 31, 2009. The Red & Purple Modernization Project includes a redesign of a diamond junction north of Belmont Station into a flyover allowing Brown Line trains going north to circumnavigate crossings with Red and Purple Line trains. The project decreased train backups and increased

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4464-461: The terminal, opened in December 2005. Simultaneous to Midway's expansion, ATA Airlines began rapid expansion at Midway in the early 2000s (decade), and was the airport's dominant carrier prior to 2004, using 14 of the 17 gates in Concourse A. However, after the airline declared bankruptcy in October 2004, scheduled service from Midway significantly decreased. For over 16 years, Midway had been

4536-620: The tracks with the Brown Line during weekday rush hours. Brown and Purple Line trains run on the outermost tracks serving five stops, while Red Line trains run on the innermost tracks making only two stops. South of the Armitage station, Brown and Purple Line trains continue southward towards the Chicago Loop on elevated tracks which zigzags its way through the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Near North Side stopping at Sedgwick and Chicago . Running over Franklin, then Wells Street,

4608-502: The trip from Midway to the Loop takes about 25 minutes. In 1996, after failing to get his Lake Calumet Airport and having received harsh criticism for the idea of turning the airport into an industrial park, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley announced the Midway Airport Terminal Development Program, which was launched the following year. At the time, it was the largest public works project in

4680-473: Was Chicago Helicopter. In August 1966, a total of four fixed-wing arrivals were scheduled, all United 727s (United was alone at Midway until early 1968). By 1967, reconstruction began at the airport, adding three new concourses with 28 gates and three ticket counters, and in 1968, the city invested $ 10 million in renovation funds. (For a few months during the 1967 renovation, Midway had no scheduled airline flights.) The funds partly supported construction of

4752-527: Was awarded the contract in October 2008 by the City Council , which voted 49–0 to approve it. The consortium would have operated the airport and collected airport parking, concession, and passenger facility charges. However, Chicago would have continued to provide fire and police services. In 2010 a new slogan emerged, calling the airport "The busiest square mile in the world". In September 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel terminated new negotiations to privatize

4824-535: Was carrying $ 10,000 in cash. James McCord alleged that she supplied the Watergate defendants with money for legal expenses. Exactly 33 years later, on December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 , a Boeing 737-700 inbound from Baltimore–Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland , slid off the runway while attempting to land at the airport in a heavy snow storm. The airplane broke through

4896-437: Was completed in 2001. The terminal bridges Cicero Avenue and contains 43 gates with facilities for international passengers. The CTA rapid transit Orange Line provides transit to Downtown Chicago, where it connects with other subway/elevated rapid transit lines. Originally named Chicago Air Park , Midway Airport was built on a 320-acre (130 ha) plot in 1923 with one cinder runway mainly for airmail flights. In 1926,

4968-405: Was designated 13R/31L from 1941 until 1989, when a new Runway 13R/31L was built. Runways 27L, 27R, 36L and 36R were closed by 1973. Brown Line (CTA) The Brown Line of the Chicago "L" system, is an 11.4-mile (18.3 km) route with 27 stations between Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood and downtown Chicago . It runs completely above ground and is almost entirely grade-separated. It

5040-433: Was forced to expand inward, taking away from space in the concourses. Space that is reclaimed by moving security outward into the bridge will be redeveloped with an expansion of the central food court. The main parking garage is being extended eastward over the CTA L tracks to add 1,500 spaces and streamline the entrance way. In addition to the redeveloped central food court, new concession options will open in phases including

5112-555: Was proposed to provide express service from the Loop to O'Hare and Midway airports, but the project was canceled during the excavation process due to significant cost overruns. The Orange Line operates between Midway and the Loop weekdays from 3:30 a.m. to 1:25 a.m., Saturdays from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Sundays from 4:30 a.m. to 1:25 a.m. On weekdays, headways consists of 10 tph (trains per hour) during rush hour, 8 tph during midday and 5 tph at night. Saturday service consists 5–8 tph during

5184-532: Was undertaken to repair aging infrastructure and increase passenger capacity. Work on the project began in late 2004 with signal upgrades, particularly at Clark Junction . In February 2006, station reconstruction began with right-of-way modernization between Kimball and Rockwell Avenue. Traction power equipment and train control systems were upgraded and a new fiber optic communication network installed. Brown Line stations were rebuilt or modified meet ADA compliance and to accommodate eight-car trains, increasing from

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