Red Line (CTA)

Red Line
A Red Line train of 5000-series cars
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Chicago "L"
Status	Operational
Locale	Chicago, Illinois, USA
Termini	Howard 95th/Dan Ryan
Stations	33
Daily ridership	251,813 (avg. weekday 2012)
Operation
Opened	Oldest section: May 31, 1900 / Current Operation as Red Line: February 21, 1993
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority
Character	Subway, Elevated, Surfaced
Depot(s)	Howard Yard, 98th Yard
Rolling stock	5000-series
Technical
Line length	23.4 mi (37.7 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail, 600 V DC
Route map Legend Purple Line to Linden Yellow Line to Dempster–Skokie Evanston Chicago Howard Jarvis Morse Loyola Granville Thorndale Bryn Mawr Berwyn Argyle Lawrence Wilson Sheridan Addison Brown Line to Kimball Belmont Wellington Diversey Fullerton Armitage North/Clybourn Purple and Brown Lines to the Loop Clark/Division Chicago Grand Chicago River State/Lake Lake Washington Monroe Jackson Library Blue Line to Forest Park Harrison Roosevelt Orange Line to Midway Green Line to Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove Cermak–Chinatown I-55 I-90 / I-94 Sox–35th 47th Garfield Green Line to the Loop 63rd Green Line to Ashland/63rd RI 69th 79th 87th 95th/Dan Ryan

The Red Line, sometimes known as the Howard-Dan Ryan Line and the North-South Line, is a rapid transit line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Chicago 'L' system. It is the busiest line on the "L" system, with an average of 251,813 passengers boarding each weekday in 2012.^[1] The route is 23.4 miles (37.7 km) long with a total of 33 stations, from Howard station in Rogers Park on the north side, through the State Street subway and to 95th/Dan Ryan in Roseland on the south side. Like the Blue Line, the Red Line runs 24 hours a day/365 days a year, it is only one of six mass-transit rail systems in the United States to do so (the others being the PATCO Speedline, Staten Island Railway, the PATH lines, 1 line of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro and the New York City Subway). A proposed extension would extend the Red Line south from 95th to 130th Street.

Route

North Side Main Line

Berwyn station is typical of stations on the northern section of the Red Line

Addison Station at Wrigley Field is served by Red Line trains.

The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, on the north side. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile (1 kilometer) west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood Avenue to Morse station. From there the route swings on a sweeping reverse curve to the east to Sheridan Road, adjacent to Loyola University Chicago and continues southerly parallel to Broadway to the east (in Edgewater) and follows Broadway to Leland Avenue. From here, the route transitions from concrete embankment to steel elevated structure. The 'L' continues southward running adjacent the Graceland Cemetery, Irving Park Road and Sheffield Avenue from Uptown to Lincoln Park. The Brown Line (Ravenswood) joins the Red Line tracks just north of Belmont Avenue.

South of Belmont, Red, Brown and Purple Line Express trains run side-by-side on the four track North Side 'L' to Armitage. Red Line trains run on the two middle tracks, only making a stop at Fullerton and skipping Wellington, Diversey and Armitage.

Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, is served by the Addison station.

State Street Subway

The entrance to the current portal, currently used by Red Line trains During the Dan Ryan branch reconstruction, southbound Red Line trains emerged from the State Street Subway beneath 13th Street.

After running through Armitage, the Red Line descends to a portal at Willow Street and enters the subway, turning southeast on Clybourn Avenue, east at Division Street, and south at State Street through the Loop to Roosevelt Road. South of Roosevelt Road, there is a junction, with one pair of tracks curving to the east and leaving the subway at 13th Street and connects to the old South Side 'L' at 18th and State Streets. This section was used from October 17, 1943, until February 21, 1993, when trains from Howard were routed to the Englewood and Jackson Park branches (today the south branches of the Green Line). The 13th street portal is now used for non-service train moves and emergency purposes. The 13th street portal was used again for regular 'L' service from May 19, 2013, until October 19, 2013, because Red Line trains were rerouted to the Green Line's South Side Main Line tracks and terminated at Ashland/63rd during the five months of the Red Line South Reconstruction Project.

From the Red Line, passengers can directly transfer to any other Chicago 'L' line. This is unique to it and the Purple Line, when the Purple Line runs its weekday rush hour route.

Dan Ryan Branch

A Red Line train in the median of Dan Ryan Expressway

At 13th Street, the subway swings away from State Street on a reverse curve to the southwest then rises to another portal at 16th Street adjacent Metra's Rock Island District line. The Red Line leaves at 16th Street and continues southward on an elevated structure to 24th Street. There is a stop at Cermak–Chinatown on this portion.

South of Cermak Road, the Red Line tracks enter the median strip of the Franklin Street Connector, The Red Line then tunnels beneath the expressway interchange between 28th and 30th Streets and continues the rest of the way to 95th Street in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 90 & 94). Chicago pioneered using expressway medians for local 'L' train lines (the other two being the Eisenhower Expressway and Kennedy Expressways, which both carry portions of the Blue Line). The Red Line follows the Dan Ryan the rest of the way to the 95th Street terminal in Roseland. The 98th Yard lie just south and east of the Dan Ryan-Bishop Ford Expressway interchange. Beyond the interchange, the Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford expressways continue towards the City's Limits south without a transit line in the median strip, but with a wide grass median where future extensions of the rapid transit line can be an option. Extensions going even further south are currently being planned for the Red Line, but no determination yet on whether the extension will continue on the median or become elevated. On this branch, the Red Line does not make any 'L' transfers. The southern terminus of the Red Line is currently 95th/Dan Ryan, but extending it to 130th street is underway. In the 98th yard, there is a prototype station, 98th/Dan Ryan. This station is never used in the system, but instead as a testing station used for Red Line train cars.

Stations along the Red Line serve important Chicago landmarks such as U.S. Cellular Field and the Illinois Institute of Technology (Sox–35th), DePaul University (Fullerton), the Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University and Loyola University Chicago (Loyola), as well as the Magnificent Mile and Chinatown.

On May 19, 2013 at 2 a.m., the branch, along with all nine stations closed for five months to allow the replacement of the tracks and for construction crews to improve the stations on the branch.^[2] The newly reconstructed Dan Ryan branch and the nine stations reopened on October 20, 2013 at 4 a.m.^[3]

Rolling stock

The Red Line is operated with the Bombardier-built 5000-series railcars. From 2012 until October 2013, the Red Line also operated 2400-series cars, during weekday rush hours, and from 1993 until 2015, the Red Line was operated with the 2600-series cars. As more 5000-series cars were delivered, the Red Line's 2600-series cars were transferred to other lines to replace the 2400-series cars; from October 2013 until April 2014, several of the Red Line's 2600-series cars were transferred over to the Purple Line as they were displaced on the Red Line by the 5000-series cars. Beginning in June 2014, CTA began to transfer the 2600-series cars from the Red Line over to the Blue Line due to them being newer than the existing Blue Line cars, transferring the Blue Line's older 2600-series cars to the Orange Line as an interim replacement for its 2400-series cars. Beginning in October 2014, CTA has also started transferring some of the Red Line's 2600-series cars to the Orange Line, replacing the Orange Line's remaining 2400-series cars until the Red Line is fully equipped with the 5000-series cars. Like the Blue Line, the Red Line runs 24 hours a day. Trains operate using eight cars on weekdays and weekends.

History

The oldest section of the line opened on May 31, 1900, running from the Loop to Wilson.^[4] It was constructed by the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. The route was extended to Central Street in Evanston on May 16, 1908 via leased and electrified trackage belonging to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway. In November, 1913, the North Side 'L' was through routed with the South Side 'L' lines through the Loop. The ground-level section between Leland Avenue and Howard Street was elevated on a concrete embankment structure and widened to four tracks in 1922.

The State Street Subway opened on October 17, 1943, providing two new tracks bypassing the Loop tracks and the portion of the North and South Side 'L' lines not equipped with express tracks. By providing an express route free of the most restrictive curves on the Chicago 'L' and shorter than the old line it supplemented, the subway reduced running time by as much as eleven minutes for a one-way trip. The route was placed in operation on October 17, 1943,^[5] for a portion of the through north-south trains, although other trains continued to use the 'L' both on through trips and on services circling the Loop and returning to the point of origin.

On August 1, 1949, the North-South route was revised to create a more efficient routing through the Central Business District and handle the heavy volumes of passenger traffic using it.^[6][7] The Howard branch was paired with the Englewood and Jackson Park branches through the State Street Subway, using the 13th street portal and the other lines routed to the Loop 'L'.

The Dan Ryan Branch opened on September 28, 1969 and was paired with the Lake Street branch to form the West-South route, almost universally referred to as the Lake-Dan Ryan route.^[8] It operated over the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue sides of the Union Loop. This "interim" service was created mainly for the purpose of providing through service between the west side and the south side in anticipation of the 1968 Loop Subway Project. When the controversial subway project was cancelled in 1979, the Lake-Dan Ryan service remained and lasted for 24 years.

For much of the 20th century, the Howard-Englewood/Jackson Park route was equally compatible in terms of passenger service until the late 1960s through the 1970s. However, passenger traffic volumes began to shift on the south side lines, with more riders using the newer Dan Ryan line (which runs four miles (6 km) further south) and fewer riders on the older 'L' lines. This level of ridership allowed the CTA to develop a more efficient system by combining the more heavily used rail lines together and combining the other lines together, providing increased service capacity for the routes that need it. The Red Line was created in 1993, when the CTA adopted color-coded system for all of its 'L' routes. On February 21, 1993, a new connection opened from south of Roosevelt to Cermak-Chinatown and the Howard branch was paired with the Dan Ryan branch creating the current Red Line and the Lake Street branch was paired with the Englewood and Jackson Park branches to form the Green Line. A further operational benefit of this switch was that this freed up capacity in the Loop needed for the addition of Orange Line trains from Midway Airport.

The Dan Ryan Branch of the Red Line underwent a rehabilitation period to improve its aging infrastructure which ended in early 2007.^[9] This work included upgrading the power and signal systems, and rehabilitating the stations with improved lighting, a cleaner appearance, and new escalators and elevators. The CTA has plans to expand Red Line service to ten car trains from the current eight-car trains.^[10]

Red Ahead and possible extension

In the spring of 2012, the CTA started a station and track rehabilitation program dubbed "Red Ahead,"^[11] beginning on the North Side Main Line, which is called the "Red North" project.^[12] The program monitors the full route of the Red Line, excluding the Loyola, Bryn Mawr, Sheridan, or Wilson station.^[13] This also doesn't include stations between Wilson through Fullerton, nor the State Street Subway. In May 2012, the CTA started to work on the North Side Main Line stations of the Red Line which includes Jarvis, Morse, Granville, Thorndale, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence. The stations are listed in order, starting at Granville, then Morse, Thorndale, Argyle, Berwyn, Lawrence and finally Jarvis. This project started in June 2012 and was completed in December 2012. This project is also part of the Red Ahead's "Red & Purple Modernization" project.^[14]

Proposals are currently underway to extend the Red Line south from 95th Street. The CTA developed nine different proposed routes, one of which includes routing the Red Line down the median of the Bishop Ford Freeway and another in the median of Interstate 57. During an alternatives analysis meeting on April 11, 2007, CTA narrowed further study down to five possible routes, two for bus rapid transit and three for heavy rail (rapid) transit. The two bus routes would travel south from the 95th/Dan Ryan terminal either down Halsted Street or Michigan Avenue, while the heavy rail routes left for consideration were the Halsted and Michigan corridors (either underground or elevated) as well as the Union Pacific Railroad corridor (elevated or trench), which would traverse southeastward toward the South Shore Line. In October 2008 the CTA commissioned a $150,000-study of an extension due south to 130th/Stony Island in the community area of Roseland.^[15]

In December 2008, at the Screen 2 presentation of the federally mandated Alternatives Analysis Study, the possible corridors and modes of transit were furthered narrowed down to either Halsted Street (Bus Rapid Transit or elevated Heavy Rail Transit) and the Union Pacific Railroad corridor (elevated Heavy Rail Transit).^[16]

In December 2009, the CTA identified the Locally Preferred Alternative as the Union Pacific corridor.^[17] A map and description of the route are found here:^[18] Multiple Environmental Impact Studies will be carried out, and will determine exact alignments and design.^[17][19]

The alignment consists of a new elevated rail line between 95th St and a new terminal station at 130th, paralleling a Union Pacific Railroad line through the Far South Side neighborhoods of Roseland, West Pullman and Riverdale. In addition to the terminal station at 130th, three new stations would be built at 103rd Street, 111th Street and Michigan.^[20] Basic engineering, along with an environmental impact statement, are currently underway.^[21]

Station listing

Chicago Transit Authority Chicago 'L' route map

North Side Main Line: Howard Branch
Station	Location	Points of interest and notes
Howard	7519 N. Paulina Street	Rogers Park, Connection to Evanston Transfer station for Yellow and Purple Lines
Jarvis	1523 W. Jarvis Avenue	Rogers Park, Emil Bach House, Jarvis Square, Chicago Math and Science Academy
Morse	1358 W. Morse Avenue	Rogers Park, Heartland Cafe
Loyola	1200 W. Loyola Avenue	Rogers Park, Loyola University Chicago Lake Shore Campus, Roger C. Sullivan High School
Granville	1119 W. Granville Avenue	Edgewater, Edgewater Glen, Loyola University Chicago
Thorndale	1118 W. Thorndale Avenue	Edgewater, Colvin House, Senn High School, Gauler Twin Houses, Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House, Emanuel Congregation, Whole Foods Market
Bryn Mawr	1119 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue	Edgewater, Bryn Mawr Historic District, Edgewater Beach Hotel, Bryn Mawr Apartment Hotel
Berwyn	1121 W. Berwyn Avenue	Edgewater, Lakewood Balmoral Historic District, Park Tower Condominium
Argyle	1118 W. Argyle Street	Uptown, Essanay Studios, St. Augustine College, Bachman House, West Argyle Street Historic District, The Aquitania
Lawrence	1117 W. Lawrence Avenue	Uptown, Uptown Theatre, Uptown Broadway Building, Riviera Theatre, Aragon Ballroom
Wilson	4620 N. Broadway	Uptown, Harry S Truman College, Ravenswood, Buddhist Temple of Chicago, People's Music School
Sheridan	3940 N. Sheridan Road	Graceland Cemetery, Howard Brown Health Center, Alta Vista Terrace District, Metro Chicago Concert Hall
Addison	940 W. Addison Street	Lakeview, Wrigley Field- home of the Chicago Cubs, Metro, Wrigleyville, Center on Halsted, the I.O. Theater, formerly improvolympic
Belmont	945 W. Belmont Avenue	Lakeview, Briar Street Theatre, Boystown, The Vic Theatre Transfer station for Purple and Brown Lines
Fullerton	943 W. Fullerton Avenue	Lincoln Park, DePaul University, St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church, Biograph Theater Transfer station for Purple and Brown Lines
State Street Subway
Station	Location	Points of interest and notes
North/Clybourn	1599 N. Clybourn Avenue	Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goose Island Brewery, Chicago History Museum, Apple Store
Clark/Division	1200 N. Clark Street	Newberry Library, Walter Payton College Prep High School, Gold Coast, Old Town
Chicago	800 N. State Street	John Hancock Center, Chicago Water Tower, Water Tower Place, Magnificent Mile, Loyola University Chicago Water Tower Campus, Chicago's Uniqlo store, Moody Bible Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Museum of Contemporary Art, Holy Name Cathedral, River North, Gold Coast, Apple Store
Grand	521 N. State Street	Navy Pier, Medinah Temple, Rock N Roll McDonald's, River North, Streeterville
Lake	188 N. State Street	Chicago Theatre, Harold Washington College, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago City Hall, Richard J. Daley Center, Macy's, and Metra Electric and South Shore Line trains via the Pedway to Millennium Station. Transfer station for the Blue Line via the Pedway. Originally part of Washington. Was called Lake-Washington (1996–1997).
Washington	128 N. State Street	Closed October 23, 2006; Former transfer station for Blue Line via a lower level transfer tunnel, Metra trains (Metra Electric Line), and South Shore Line
Monroe	26 S. State Street	Art Institute of Chicago, Bank of America Theatre, Chicago Building, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Franklin Center, Silversmith Hotel
Jackson	230 S. State Street	Grant Park, Petrillo Music Shell, Buckingham Fountain, Harold Washington Library Center, DePaul University, Robert Morris University, John Marshall Law School, Chicago Bar Association and The Auditorium Building of Roosevelt University
Harrison	608 S. State Street	Columbia College Chicago, Dearborn Station, Printing House Row District, Jones College Prep
Roosevelt	1167 S. State Street	Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Northerly Island (formerly Meigs Field), Soldier Field-Home of Chicago Bears Transfer station for Orange and Green Lines
Dan Ryan Branch
Station	Location	Points of interest and notes
Cermak–Chinatown	138 W. Cermak Road	Chinatown, McCormick Place, Chinatown Square, Chicago Public Library's Chinatown Branch
Sox–35th	142 W. 35th Street	U.S. Cellular Field (formerly Comiskey Park), home of the Chicago White Sox, Illinois Institute of Technology, Armour Square, De La Salle Institute, Chicago Bee Building
47th	220 W. 47th Street	Canaryville, DuSable High School, Fuller Park
Garfield	220 W. Garfield Boulevard	Washington Park, Schulze Baking Company Plant, Raber House; Main connecting point for the University of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Industry
63rd	220 W. 63rd Street	Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, Englewood, Woodlawn
69th	15 W. 69th Street	Greater Grand Crossing, Paul Robeson High School, Yale Apartments
79th	15 W. 79th Street	Avalon Park, Leo Catholic High School, Simeon Career Academy
87th	15 W. 87th Street	Auburn Gresham, Chatham, Garden Homes Historic District
95th/Dan Ryan	15 W. 95th Street	Roseland, Chicago State University, Trinity United Church of Christ, Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Harlan Community Academy High School, Princeton Park, Fernwood

Proposed stations

Dan Ryan Extension
Station	Location	Points of interest and notes
103rd	TBD	Proposed station; Pullman, Washington Heights, Corliss High School, Olive-Harvey College
111th	TBD	Proposed station; Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, Palmer Park, Pullman Historic District
Michigan	TBD	Proposed station; West Pullman, Fenger Academy High School, S. A. Foster House and Stable
130th	TBD	Proposed station; Altgeld Gardens, Hegewisch, Riverdale, Carver Military Academy, Dolton

Rail Yards

There are two rail yards for the Red Line cars. Howard Yard, for the northern portion of the line and the 98th Yard for the southern portion of the line.

References

1. "2012 Annual Ridership Report" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
2. "Red Line South Track Renewal Project". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
3. "Red Line South Project Countdown until Completion Day!". Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
4. "Room For All to Ride". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 30, 1900. p. 12.
5. Shinnick, William (October 17, 1943). "CHICAGO UNDERGROUND--A Subway at Last!". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. C1.
6. "Close 24 Elevated Stations; Skip-Stop Will Start Monday". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 31, 1949. p. 1.
7. "Begins Skip-Stop Runs Monday on North, South 'L'". Chicago Daily Tribune. July 29, 1949. p. A9.
8. Buck, Thomas (September 28, 1969). "Ryan Rail Service Starts Today". Chicago Daily Tribune. p. 22.
10. Chigago Transit Authority Ravenswood (Brown) Line Expansion Environmental Assessment. Chicago Transit Authority
11. "CTA Red Ahead Program". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
12. "Red Ahead: CTA Red North". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
13. "Red North - Section 2". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
14. "CTA Red & Purple Modernization project". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
15. Regional Transit Authority (2008-10-03). "RTA Funded Study Looks at the Impact of the Proposed Red Line Extension" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-09.
16. "Red Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Study" (PDF). Retrieved 6 January 2009.
17. "About the Project: Alternatives". Red Line Extension Project. Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
18. Alternatives | About the Red Line Extension Project | CTA. Transitchicago.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-26.
19. "Project Schedule". Red Line Extension Project. Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
20. "Red Ahead: Summer 2013 Newsletter" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
21. "Red Line Extension Project". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved February 25, 2010.

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Red Line at Chicago-L.org
• Train schedules at CTA official site
• Red Line Extension: Connecting 95th Street Station to 130th Street (CTA official site)