1.
Chicago Transit Authority
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Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit in Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago L and CTA bus service. In 1952, CTA purchased the assets of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, today, the CTA is one of the three service boards financially supported by the Regional Transportation Authority. The Chicago Transit Authority provides service to Chicago and 40 surrounding suburbs, the CTA provided a total of 532 million rides in 2011, a 3 percent increase over 2010 with ridership rising to levels not seen for 20 years. CTA operates 24 hours each day and on an average weekday provides 1.7 million rides on buses and it has approximately 1,800 buses that operate over 140 routes traveling along 2,230 route miles. Buses provide about one million trips a day and serve more than 12,000 posted bus stops in 10 suburbs. The Chicago Transit Authoritys 1,450 train cars operate eight routes and 222 miles of track. Its trains provide about 750,000 customer trips each weekday and serve 144 stations in Chicago and seven suburbs. Currently, the CTA operates within Chicago and the suburbs of Forest Park, Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, Summit, Cicero, Berwyn, North Riverside, Rosemont. The CTA accepts payment with a Ventra card, a single-ride or 1-day Ventra disposable ticket, contactless credit or debit card, children under seven can ride free with a fare-paying rider, 3-child limit. Only buses allow riders to pay with cash, the bus fare is $2, the L fare is $2.25, and no cash transfers are available. The CTA no longer sells Transit Cards, all remaining Transit Cards must have been used by July 1,2014. In its place CTA has adopted the Ventra Card system, the Ventra Card can be purchased online, at any Ventra machine at CTA stations, and at authorized retailers. Ventra is a fare payment system for the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace that replaced the Chicago Card. Ventra launched in August 2013, with a full system transition slated for July 1,2014, Ventra is operated by Cubic Transportation Systems. Riders can pay a quarter for up to two transfers within two hours, the Chicago Transit Authority produced a monthly television show, Connections, from May 2003 through December 2011. The show was hosted by Dale Rivera, Jeanne Sparrow, Connections was broadcast on City of Chicago Public-access television cable TV channels 23 &49, as well as on Comcasts CN100 in the Chicago media market, including areas of Michigan and Indiana. Connections featured news and information about the CTA and services it provides, individual segments from Connections are available on CTAs YouTube channel. The majority of train stations CTA operates have elevators or ramps to access for customers with disabilities
2.
Orange Line (CTA)
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The Orange Line, is a rapid transit line in Chicago, Illinois run by the Chicago Transit Authority as part of the L system. In September 2012, the average weekday boardings on the Orange Line were 63,037. The Orange Line operates between Midway Airport and the Loop, weekdays from 4,00 a. m. to 1,25 a. m. the Orange Line begins in an open cut at a station on the east side of Midway International Airport. From here, the rises to an elevated viaduct at 55th Street. Entering the IC right-of-way, the line changes from elevated structure to surface level. The line continues on surface level to Ashland Avenue where it crosses the bridge 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. 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 the inner loop - via Van Buren Street, Wells Street, Lake Street, along the Orange Lines main route there are seven stations. An eighth station is located at Roosevelt/Wabash on the old South Side L 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 has been proposed to provide service from the Loop to OHare and Midway, via the Orange. The station would provide such as baggage check. The downtown terminal is under construction, but the express tracks required for the Airport Express trains have yet to be funded, the Orange Line is operated with the 2600-series railcars and the Morrison-Knudsen-built 3200-series railcars which were delivered a year before the opening of the route. From November 8,2012 to October 31,2014, some 2400-series railcars were assigned to the line. Trains operate using eight cars during rush hours and four cars during other times on weekdays. A non-rush hour four car Orange Line train consists of two 2600-series cars and two 3200-series cars or four 2600-series cars or four 3200-series cars. The Orange Lines 2600-series cars are expected to remain in service on the line until the 2020s, the 3200-series rehabilitation began in 2015 and will be completed in 2017. Beginning in June 2014, CTA began to transfer some 2600-series cars to the line as a replacement for its 2400-series cars. The last 2400-series cars were retired from service on October 31,2014 and it would be another four decades before Chicago transit planners would become serious about providing rapid transit service to this area of the city
3.
Green Line (CTA)
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The Green Line is a rapid transit line on the Chicago Transit Authoritys L system. It is the only completely elevated route in the entire system, as of September 2012, the average number weekday boardings on the Green Line is 70,554. Here the Green Line tracks leaves the railroad embankment and continues east on an elevated structure directly above Lake Street. The L bridges a couple of tracks before entering downtown Chicago at Clinton Street. East of Clinton Street, the route bridges Metras Union Pacific railroad tracks, in downtown Chicago, the Green Line operates over the famous Union Loop L structure along with Brown Line, Orange Line, Pink Line and Purple Line Express trains. However, Green Line trains operate both ways over the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue sides only, and does not use the Wells Street and Van Buren Street sides of the Loop. The Green Line is the line in the L system that has two entry/exit points to the elevated Loop, the only route that does not use the Loop to terminate. Its route uses the Wabash and Lake sides of the Loop, which are used by the Orange, Pink, Purple and Brown Lines. Leaving the Loop at Tower 12, the tracks continue along Wabash Avenue and follows an S curve to the west and this 3.8 mile section is the oldest part of Chicagos L system. On this segment, the Green Line shares tracks with the Orange Line between the Loop and 17th Street, passengers can transfer between the two lines at Roosevelt/Wabash station. The other stations on this section are at Cermak–McCormick Place and 35th–Bronzeville–IIT, adjacent the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, prior to 1994 the East 63rd branch extended as far east as Stony Island Avenue. It was shortened to University in 1982 and Cottage Grove in 1996, the Ashland branch continues south and west following 59th Street, Princeton Avenue and 63rd Street to the Ashland terminal in Englewood. The yard and inspection shop lie to the south between the old Racine station and the Ashland/63rd terminal. The L tracks continues west to an end at Hermitage Avenue, a prediction for a future extension of the route westward, however. Prior to 1992, the Englewood branch had two stops at Wentworth and Harvard, closed by the CTA for service cuts. Halsted/63rd is the only remaining stop on the 3.1 miles route, the Englewood branch was permanently renamed the Ashland branch as of March 2013 according to the CTA. The Jackson Park branch continues south from the mainline between Calumet and Prairie Avenues, passing the old yard and inspection facilities at 61st Street in Washington Park. South of here, the route curves east over 63rd Street, prior to 1994, the Jackson Park branch of the Green Line once terminated at University/63rd and before that, at Stony Island/63rd from 1893 until 1982
4.
Purple Line (CTA)
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The Purple Line of the Chicago Transit Authority is a 3. 9-mile route on the northernmost section of the Chicago L rapid transit system. Normally, it extends south from Linden Avenue in Wilmette, passing through Evanston to Howard Street, in September 2012, the average weekday boardings on the Purple Line was 45,036. The Purple Line operates Mondays to Thursdays 4,25 a. m. to 1,30 a. m, fridays,4,30 a. m. to 2,10 a. m. Saturdays 5,05 a. m. to 2,15 a. m. the express service is known as the Purple Line Express, while the Linden-Howard shuttle service is the Purple Line Shuttle. From 2003 to 2006 the Purple Line ran a Loop-bound train every 30 minutes during off-peak hours and this service was discontinued on January 1,2007. Prior to the color-coding of CTA rail lines in 1993, the Purple Line was known as the Evanston Line, Evanston Service or Evanston Shuttle, the selection of purple as the lines color was likely from Northwesterns official school color being purple. Beginning at Linden Avenue in Wilmette, which contains a storage yard and car service shop. The line, now on an embankment, curves southward parallel to Sherman Avenue. Here the line crosses through the area before the junction with the Red Line. The tracks are split on grade separated structures to allow Yellow Line trains to enter the junction from the west, immediately south of the yard lies the Howard Street terminal, where Red, Purple and Yellow Line trains all terminate. There are four operational tracks starting at Howard Street, continuing on to Armitage Avenue, during weekday rush hours, the Purple Line runs express on the outer tracks, skipping all stops until Belmont Avenue. From Belmont Avenue to Armitage Avenue, the Purple Line and Brown Line share the outside tracks, from just south of Armitage Avenue to just north of Chicago Avenue, they are on a two track line on a 4-track structure. After the North Shore Line ceased operations in 1963, the tracks in this area were rarely used and received next to no maintenance. Beginning April 2,2007, the Purple Line Express was rerouted onto the Outer Loop track along with the Brown Line due to the construction at the Belmont and Fullerton stations. Prior to this, Purple Line Express trains were diverted to the Outer Loop track in the event of emergencies or signal problems in the Loop. On December 4,2008, the CTA announced that the Purple Line Express would return to the original Inner Loop routing on December 29. If a problem occurs between the Loop and the Fullerton station, the Purple Line is generally routed into the subway, however, trains had to cross over to the inner Red Line tracks, as there is no platform access to the outer tracks at Addison. As a result of the Brown Line construction and in effort to minimize delays, the station was constructed with two island platforms that can access the express tracks, eliminating the need for trains to switch over
5.
Pink Line (CTA)
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The Pink Line is an 11.2 mi rapid transit line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority as part of the Chicago L system. It is CTAs newest rail line and began operation for a 180-day trial period on June 25,2006, the route to the Loop follows tracks shared with Green Line trains on Lake Street, connected by the previously non-revenue Paulina Connector. In September 2012, the average weekday boardings on the Pink Line was 33,737, the Pink Line does not make any L train transfers on the Douglas Branch. The Pink Line operates between 54th/Cermak and the Loop, weekdays from 4,05 a. m. to 1,25 a. m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 5,05 a. m. to 1,25 a. m. This would allow a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Line, the CTA has also promised that service to/from 54th/Cermak would be increased 100% during weekday rush hours. On February 15,2006, 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 the route via the Dearborn Street Subway every half hour. These changes went into effect beginning June 25,2006, with the trial scheduled to end 180 days later on December 22,2006. Originally, Douglas trains were operated by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated directly into the Loop by means of the Metropolitans main line, the entire Douglas Branch is ADA accessible. The Pink Line began operation on June 25,2006, using the rebuilt Paulina Connector which had not been used in revenue service for 48 years. The service, which was set up as a temporary service to be run for a trial period of 180 days. Pink Line trains operate clockwise on the Inner Loop track via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells before returning to 54th/Cermak, on December 4,2008, CTA announced its decision to make the Pink Line permanent. On the Pink Line, what was once the Blue Lines Douglas branch begins at 54th Avenue, the line turns north near Paulina Street stopping at 18th and Polk stations, then crosses over the Eisenhower Expressway. Here, a two track non-revenue branch diverges that descends to the expressway to provide a track connection to 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, the Pink Line is operated with the Bombardier-built 5000-series railcars. Trains operate using four cars on weekdays and weekends, occasionally, the Pink and Green Lines borrow each others cars when either line is short on cars. The 5000-series cars returned to the Pink Line on May 7,2012, at the time of their reintroduction, all Pink Line consists using 5000-series cars were six cars long. The last 2600-series cars were removed from service from the Pink Line on June 8,2012, most of the Pink Lines 2600-series cars were reassigned to the Blue Line to replace its 2200-series cars
6.
Brown Line (CTA)
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The Brown Line of the Chicago L system, is an 11. 4-mile route with 27 stations between Chicagos Albany Park neighborhood and downtown Chicago. It runs completely above ground and is almost entirely grade-separated and it is the third busiest L route, with an average of 101,881 passengers boarding each weekday in 2011. The Brown Line operates to the Loop weekdays and Saturdays from 4,00 am to 1,30 am and on Sundays from 5,00 am to 1,30 am. The Brown Line Shuttle service, running only between Kimball and Belmont, runs from 4,00 am to 2,20 am on weekdays and Saturdays, at Belmont, southbound riders can transfer to the 24-hour Red Line. Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Route, specifically, accordingly, the Kimball-Belmont shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle. The Brown Line begins on the northwest side of Chicago, at the Kimball terminal in Albany Park, from there, trains operate over street level tracks between Leland and Eastwood Avenues to Rockwell Street, then ramp up to the elevated structure for the rest of the trip. The trains on the section are powered by third rail rather than overhead catenary. After the Damen station, the route south, about one-half block parallel and west of Metras Union Pacific North railroad line. Here the route turns east again and runs parallel to Roscoe Street past Sheffield Avenue where it 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, 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. The Brown Line is operated with the Morrison-Knudsen-built 3200-series railcars, delivered from 1992 through 1994, 2600-series railcars sometimes appear on the Brown Line when there is a shortage of 3200-series cars. The Orange Lines 2400-series cars have since replaced by the 2600-series cars as of October 31,2014. Still, one 2600-series car 3458, remains on the Brown Line, the Brown Line operate using four cars at other times on weekdays and all day on weekends and eight cars during weekday rush hours. The 3200-series rehabilitation began in 2015 and will be completed in 2017, beginning March 30,2008, 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, although ridership certainly warranted eight cars on the Brown Line during weekday rush hours, six cars are standard on the Brown Line during midday. Early morning, late evening, and weekend service is provided by four cars, although this may be extended to eight cars due to special events. The Northwestern Elevated Railroad opened the Ravenswood branch between the 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 a new bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River was completed in the 1970s
7.
Side platform
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A side platform is a platform positioned to the side of a pair of tracks at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. Dual side platform stations, one for direction of travel, is the basic station design used for double-track railway lines. Side platforms may result in a wider overall footprint for the station compared with a platform where a single width of platform can be shared by riders using either track. In some stations, the two platforms are connected by a footbridge running above and over the tracks. While a pair of platforms is often provided on a dual-track line. Where the station is close to a crossing the platforms may either be on the same side of the crossing road or alternatively may be staggered in one of two ways. With the near-side platforms configuration, each platform appears before the intersection, in some situations a single side platform can be served by multiple vehicles simultaneously with a scissors crossing provided to allow access mid-way along its length. Normally, the facilities of the station are located on the Up platform with the other platform accessed from a footbridge. However, in cases the stations main buildings are located on whichever side faces the town or village the station serves. Larger stations may have two platforms with several island platforms in between. Some are in a Spanish solution format, with two platforms and an island platform in between, serving two tracks
8.
Chicago "L"
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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. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, Chicagos L provides 24-hour service on some portions of its network, being one of only five rapid transit systems in the United States to do so. The oldest sections of the Chicago L started operations in 1892, making it the second oldest rapid transit system in the Americas, the L has been credited with fostering the growth of Chicagos dense city core that is one of the citys distinguishing features. The L consists of eight rapid transit lines laid out in a spoke–hub distribution paradigm focusing transit towards the Loop. Although the L gained its name because large parts of the system are elevated, portions of the network are also in subway tunnels, at grade level, or open cut. In 2014, the L had an average of 752,734 passenger boardings each weekday,486,267 each Saturday, over the next year service was extended to 63rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, then the Transportation Building of the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park. In 1893, trains running on the Lake Street Elevated Railroad and in 1895 on the Metropolitan West Side Elevated, which had lines to Douglas Park, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park. Two years later the South Side L introduced multiple-unit control, in which the operator can control all the cars in a train. Electrification and MU control remain standard features of most of the rapid transit systems. A drawback of early L service was none of the lines entered the central business district. The Union Loop opened in 1897 and greatly increased the rapid transit systems convenience, insull instituted many improvements, including free transfers and through routing, although he did not formally combine the original firms into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company until 1924. The construction of the Subway created the necessity to tunnel under the Chicago River, the State Street Subway opened on October 17,1943, the Dearborn Subway, on which work had been suspended during World War II, opened on February 25,1951. The subways were constructed with a purpose of serving as bomb shelters. The subways bypassed a number of curves and circuitous routings on the original elevated lines. In 1947, the Chicago Transit Authority acquired the assets of the Chicago Rapid Transit Company and the Chicago Surface Lines, operator of the citys streetcars. Over the next few years CTA modernized the L, replacing wooden cars with new ones and closing lightly used branch lines and stations. Later, after assuming control of the L, the CTA introduced a service known as the A/B skip-stop service. Under this service, trains were designated as either A or B trains, a trains would only stop at A or AB stations, and B trains would only stop at B or AB stations
9.
The Loop (CTA)
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The Loop is the 1. 79-mile long circuit of elevated railroad that forms the hub of the Chicago L system in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2012, the branch has served 74,651 passengers every weekday, the Loop is so named because the railroad loops around a rectangle formed by Lake Street, Wabash Avenue, Van Buren Street, and Wells Street. The railroad loop has given its name to Chicagos downtown, which is known as the Loop, however, transportation historian Bruce Moffat has concluded that The Loop was not used as a proper noun until after Charles Yerkes 1895–97 construction of the elevated structure. In 201120,896,612 passengers entered the L via these stations, five of the eight L lines use the Loop tracks. Two of the three lines, Blue Line and Red Line, run underground through the center of the loop. The Yellow Line is the only CTA line that does not run on or connect to the loop, the Purple Line Express and the Brown Line enter from the north at the northwestern corner. The Purple Line Express makes a circuit in the clockwise direction while the Brown Line makes a full circuit traveling counterclockwise. The Orange Line enters from the south at the southeastern corner, following the completion of a full circuit in their directions, trains of these four lines return to their terminals making stops in the reverse order they made when heading to the Loop. The Green Line runs in both directions but does not make a circuit, using only the north and eastern sides of the Loop to move between the Lake Street branch and the South Side Elevated. Two towers control entry to and exit from the Loop, Tower 12 stands at the southeastern corner. Tower 18 stands watch over the three-quarter union located at the northwestern corner, the current Tower 18 was placed into service on September 7,1969 after being relocated diagonally across the junction from the original 19th century tower. Charles Tyson Yerkes masterminded the linking of these railroads, originally there were 12 stations, with three stations on each side. The construction of the west-leg of the Union Loop over Wells Street required the removal of the platform of the Fifth/Lake station. The addition of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad caused the removal of the rest of the station as the remaining platform sat across the new entry point. This left 11 stations, two on the leg of the loop and three on each other leg. 1977 Chicago Loop derailment Chicago Central Area Transit Plan Wells Street Terminal Historic American Engineering Record No, iL-1, Union Elevated Railroad, Union Loop Loop Elevated at Chicago-L. org
10.
Washington/Wabash station
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Washington/Wabash is a Chicago L rapid transit station scheduled to open in early 2017. It will serve as a consolidation and replacement of the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stations, the project is being undertaken by the Chicago Department of Transportation. Construction of the $75 million station will begin in 2016 following the closure of Madison/Wabash in March 2015, the station will be located between Washington and Madison Streets on Wabash Avenue in the Chicago Loop. It will be one of three new stations in the Loop with Washington/Wells being the first and Harold Washington Library – State/Van Buren being the second
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Media related to Adams/Wabash (CTA) at Wikimedia Commons
