Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)

Blue Line
A Blue Line train in the Damen station
Info
Type	Rapid transit
System	Chicago 'L'
Status	Operational
Locale	Chicago and Cook County, Illinois
Terminals	Forest Park (south) 54/Cermak (south—rush periods only) O'Hare (north)
No. of stations	44
Service routes	O'Hare–Forest Park O'Hare–54/Cermak (rush periods only)
Daily ridership	approx. 147,000 (avg. weekday boardings)
Operation
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority
Character	Underground and elevated
Technical
Line length	34.6 mi (55.7 km)
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Electrification	Third rail
Line map     O'Hare     Rosemont     Cumberland     Harlem     Jefferson Park     Montrose     Irving Park     Addison     Belmont     Logan Square     California     Western     Damen     Division     Chicago     Grand                         Clark/Lake   Washington     Monroe         Jackson     LaSalle     Clinton     UIC-Halsted     Racine           Polk           18th           Damen           Western           California           Kedzie           Central Park           Pulaski           Kostner           Cicero           54/Cermak     Illinois Medical District     Western     Kedzie-Homan     Pulaski     Cicero     Austin     Oak Park     Harlem     Forest Park Map Legend     Transfer to Brown Line     Transfer to Green Line     Transfer to Orange Line     Transfer to Pink Line     Transfer to Purple Line     Transfer to Red Line     Transfer to Yellow Line ADA accessible station Station closed for construction Parking O'Hare Airport

The Blue Line (O'Hare-Congress & O'Hare-Douglas Services), consists of a 19.5 mile trunk line in the Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit system which extends through Chicago's Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress subway, and across the West Side with two branches at its southwest end, one to Forest Park (Congress) and the other to Cicero (Douglas). It is the CTA's second busiest rail line, with more than 119,700 station entrances and 147,000 passengers boarding each weekday. The route's full length is 34.6 miles with a total of 44 stations. The Blue Line and Red Line are the only two routes on the CTA rail system to presently run 24 hours a day. Service to 54th/Cermak only operates weekday rush hours. It operates from 5:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. and again from 2:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The Blue Line was formerly called 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 respective terminals, Forest Park and 54th/Cermak, when the current color naming system was adopted in 1993, however many Chicago historians and expert 'L' riders still refer to the old route names.

O'Hare Branch

The Blue Line terminus at O'Hare International Airport

The O'Hare Branch is the longest section of the Blue Line (14.6 miles) and comprises the oldest and newest segments of the entire route. It begins at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport underneath the main parking garage. It runs in subway to a portal location in the airport grounds then climbs to the surface in the median of the Kennedy Expressway (Interstate 190) about a mile west of Mannheim Road. The rapid transit line follows the Kennedy east through Rosemont then tunnels beneath the Kennedy Expressway/Northwest Tollway interchange near the Des Plaines River and continues in the median of the Kennedy Expressway (now Interstate 90) east and southeast towards the city to another subway portal just south of Addison Street. The line then runs in a short subway connection (built in 1970) under Kimball and Milwaukee Avenues through Logan Square to another portal. Here, the line climbs onto elevated structure paralleling Milwaukee Avenue (built in 1895) and continuing southeast towards downtown Chicago.

Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway

After the Damen station, Blue Line trains drops into Chicago's second subway route, continuing southeast under Milwaukee Avenue, east under Lake Street (crossing beneath the Chicago River) south under Dearborn Street (through the central business district) and west under Congress Parkway (and a second river crossing) to a portal near Halsted Street. It emerges from underground now occupying the median of the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290) and continues west. After two median strip stations at University of Illinois at Chicago and Racine, the line splits into two branches: the Congress (Forest Park) Branch and the Douglas (54th/Cermak) Branch. A downtown superstation has been proposed to provide express service from the Loop to O'Hare and Midway Airport, via the Blue and Orange Line. The station would provide services such as baggage check. However, budget issues plague the operation and have prevented construction.

Congress Branch

The Congress Branch begins at Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park (7650 W. - 600 S.). It runs eastward towards the city following the CSX Railroad tracks across Des Plaines Avenue on elevated structure on the north side of the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290), then curves over the expressway to the south side of the right-of-way and tunnels beneath the CSX tracks. The Congress tracks then continues on the surface between the railroad tracks and the expressway in the south half of the combined and below surface level right-of-way from there, through Oak Park. The Harlem, Oak Park and Austin stations are located in this section. Near Central Avenue, the Congress Branch tunnels beneath the eastbound expressway lanes and continues east at grade in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway through the west side of Chicago, stopping at Cicero, Pulaski, Kedzie-Homan, Western and Illinois Medical District. Leaving IMD station, the Congress tracks widens to allow the Douglas Branch elevated structure to connect with the median of the expressway. The Congress (Forest Park) Branch merges with the Douglas (54th/Cermak) Branch before Racine station, where both continue east to the Loop and the Northwest Side as the O'Hare Branch.

Douglas Branch

The Douglas Branch begins at 54th Avenue and Cermak Road in Cicero (5400 W. - 2200 S.). The line runs east on street level right-of-way just north of and parallel to Cermak Road from the terminal to about a quarter-mile east of Cicero Avenue, then diagonals 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 surface level to elevated structure, through 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 Streets then curves east over the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290). The Douglas tracks ramps down to the surface of the median of the expressway and joins the Congress (Forest Park) Branch just before the Racine station, where both continue east towards the Loop and the Northwest Side as the O'Hare Branch.

Douglas Branch reroute (Pink Line)

In January 2005, the CTA held hearings on its proposal to reroute much of the Douglas Branch service via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street Green Line, carrying Douglas trains to and around the elevated Chicago Loop (clockwise) for the first since Douglas trains began using the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway in downtown Chicago in 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 the Forest Park and Cicero terminals, however, due to community fears that the Pink Line would not be enough, the CTA has promised that 54th/Cermak-bound Blue Line service would remain in 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 is available on this routing as well as the original route via the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress 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.

Operating Fleet

Currently, the Blue Line is serviced by Budd-built 2200-Series and 2600-Series type rail cars which were delivered in 1969 and 1981, respectively. These cars are typically trained together because the older 2200-Series cars have "blinker doors" that open inward and are not ADA compatible. They are slated for retirement in 2013 when the new 5000-Series cars are delivered. Train consists range from 8 cars during the peak periods, and 4 cars during all other times except during special events.

History

The most vintage components of the Blue Line began as part of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad in 1895. The first section to be built by this company extended west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street from an independent downtown terminal at Franklin and Jackson Streets to Marshfield Avenue, and thence northward in the vicinity of Paulina Street to Damen and Milwaukee Avenues. Service on this section was started May 6, 1895. The structure 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 17, 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. Service to the terminal at Forest Park was established on March 11, 1905, and to Westchester on October 1, 1926. Service on the Westechester extension of the Garfield Park Branch was discontinued December 9, 1951. Another branch line was added to the rapidly growing Metropolitan System on July 29, 1895, when trains began operating over the Humboldt Park Branch, paralleling North Avenue from Damen Avenue to a terminal at Lawndale Avenue. The route was discontinued on May 3, 1952. This was followed by still another addition when the Douglas Park Branch was placed in operation as far south as 18th Street on August 28, 1895. 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 present west terminal of the Douglas Branch is 54th Avenue, Cicero. The Metropolitan West Side Elevated began service around the Union Loop on October 11, 1897 and a rush period stub terminal at Wells Street was added October 3, 1904. For much of the early twentieth century and through the 1940s, service on the West Side Elevated lines went unchanged until the Chicago Transit Authority took control of Chicago's Rapid Transit System in October, 1947, initiating a series of massive service curtailments and station closings (that would last until the 1980s). On February 25, 1951, Chicago's second subway route (#2), Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress, was placed in operation by CTA, connecting the Milwaukee Avenue elevated route (formerly Logan Square) with the Central Business District on a fast, efficient and more direct routing through the heart of the city. With opening of the Dearborn Subway, the old elevated alignment between Evergreen and Marshfield Avenues was therefore closed and used only for moving out-of-service rail cars. The north section of this connection between Evergreen Avenue and Lake Street was subsequently demolished in 1960's, leaving the Lake Street Branch-to-Douglas Branch section or the "Paulina Connector" still in existence. The Garfield Park elevated was replaced by the Congress route 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 the Hollywood Freeway in 1954, but the Pacific Electric service was an interurban streetcar rather than true rapid transit.) It connects with the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway at the Chicago River and extends westward to Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park. An incline connection en route permits Douglas trains to operate through the subway as well. Thus, in June, 1958, the second through service in Chicago was created, the West-Northwest route. A five-mile extension of the route via the short subway connection and the Kennedy Expressway median between Logan Square and Jefferson Park was added on February 1, 1970. It was also built by the City of Chicago using federal monies. From Logan Square, trains veers off of the old elevated structure and enters the subway under Milwaukee and Kedzie Avenues to a portal just south of Addison Street, then continues northwest in the median of the Kennedy Expressway to the temporary terminal at Jefferson Park. In January, 1979, construction began on the O'Hare Airport extension of the Kennedy route between Jefferson Park and the airport. The first section between Jefferson Park and Rosemont was placed in service on February 27, 1983, and the final section to O'Hare International Airport on September 3, 1984. In 1993, the Chicago Transit Authority adopted a color-coded naming system to the rapid transit system, and the West-Northwest route (OHare-Congress/Douglas) became the Blue Line. 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 a result of funding shortages requiring CTA cut services. 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. One reason for the Douglas Branch reduction in service was due to its low ridership, badly deteriorated condition, and funding problems, while many residents in the communities it runs through had claimed that it was just another attempt by the CTA to deter transit service on the West Side. In September, 2001, the CTA began a historic reconstruction of the Douglas Branch to repair its aging infrastructure. The work was officially completed on January 5, 2005 with new elevated structures, track, stations, new communiciation networks and an upgraded traction power system along the route. On January 1, 2005, weekend service was restored. On July 11, 2006, a rear derailment caused a smokey fire in the Blue Line's Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway. There were injuries from smoke inhalation, but no fatalities. The comparatively minor incident prompted heavy news coverage and a temporary stoppage of Chicago subway service because it occurred hours after train bombings in Mumbai earlier the same day.

Points of interest

The Blue Line serves as a vital link to various airline destinations from the O'Hare International Airport (O'Hare), Rosemont Convention Center and Allstate Arena (Rosemont), the Gateway Theatre, James R. Thompson Center (Clark/Lake), City Hall-Cook County Building and the Richard J. Daley Center (Washington), Bank One Plaza (Monroe), the Federal Center Buildings (Jackson), La Salle Street Metra Station (La Salle), Amtrak and Metra Union Station, Main Post Office and Greyhound Lines station (Clinton), University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC-Halsted and Racine), UIC Pavilion (Racine) Cook County Hospital, Malcolm X College and the United Center (Medical Center) University of Illinois Medical Center (Polk), Pilsen (18th), Oak Park (Austin and Oak Park), Cicero (Cicero and 54th/Cermak) and Forest Park (Harlem and Forest Park) among others and several Metra train stations (Jefferson Park, Irving Park and Western-Douglas).

Station listing

Blue Line (O'Hare branch)
Station	Location	Points of interest
O'Hare	1000 O'Hare Drive, Chicago	O'Hare International Airport
Rosemont	5801 N River Road, Rosemont	Allstate Arena, home of the Chicago Wolves
Cumberland	5800 N. Cumberland Avenue, Chicago
Harlem	5550 N. Harlem Avenue, Chicago	Norwood Park
Jefferson Park	4917 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago	Jefferson Park, Gateway Theatre
Montrose	4647 W. Montrose Avenue, Chicago
Irving Park	4011 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago	Irving Park
Addison	3630 W. Addison Street, Chicago	Avondale, St. Wenceslaus, The Villa District
Belmont	3355 W. Belmont Avenue, Chicago	Avondale, St. Hyacinth Basilica
Logan Square	2620 N. Kedzie Avenue, Chicago	Logan Square
California	2211 N. California Avenue, Chicago
Western	1909 N. Western Avenue, Chicago
Damen	1558 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago	Bucktown
Division	1560 W. Division Avenue, Chicago	Polonia Triangle, Wicker Park, Chopin Theatre, Holy Trinity Polish Mission, St. Stanislaus Kostka
Chicago	1123 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago	St. John Cantius
Grand	502 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago
Blue Line (Dearborn Street Subway/Near West Side)
Station	Location	Points of interest
Clark/Lake	124 W. Lake Street, Chicago	James R. Thompson Center, Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago City Hall Transfer station for Orange, Green, Purple, Brown, and Pink Lines
Washington	127 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago	Richard J. Daley Center Former Transfer station for Red Line (You can no longer transfer to the Red Line at Washington. The Red Line Washington stop is closed until 2008)
Monroe	30 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago
Jackson	312 S. Dearborn Street, Chicago	Federal Center Transfer station for Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Red Lines
LaSalle	150 W. Congress Parkway, Chicago	Harold Washington Library Center, Metropolitan Correctional Center, LaSalle Street Station
Clinton	426 S. Clinton Street, Chicago	Union Station, Greyhound Terminal
UIC-Halsted	430 S. Halsted Street, Chicago	University of Illinois at Chicago, Greektown
Racine	430 S. Racine Avenue, Chicago	UIC Pavilion, Little Italy Transfer station for Forest Park and 54/Cermak bound trains
Blue Line (Forest Park branch)
Station	Location	Points of interest
Illinois Medical District	431 S. Ogden Avenue, Chicago	Illinois Medical District, United Center
Western	500 S. Western Avenue, Chicago
Kedzie-Homan	530 S. Kedzie Avenue, Chicago
Pulaski	530 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago
Cicero	720 S. Cicero Avenue, Chicago
Austin	660 S. Austin Avenue, Oak Park
Oak Park	600 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park	Oak Park, Oak Park Conservatory
Harlem	550 S. Harlem Avenue, Forest Park
Forest Park	711 S. Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park	Forest Park
Blue Line (Douglas branch)
Station	Location	Points of interest
Polk	1713 W. Polk Street, Chicago	Transfer station for Pink Line Illinois Medical District
18th	1710 W. 18th Street, Chicago	Pilsen, St. Adalbert's, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
Damen	2010 S. Damen Avenue, Chicago	Heart of Chicago
Western	2010 S. Western Avenue, Chicago	BNSF Railway Line (Metra) Station
California	2010 S. California Avenue, Chicago
Kedzie	1944 S. Kedzie Avenue, Chicago
Central Park	1944 S. Central Park Avenue, Chicago
Pulaski	2021 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago
Kostner	2019 S. Kostner Avenue, Chicago
Cicero	2134 S. Cicero Avenue, Cicero	Cicero, BNSF Railway Line (Metra) Station
54/Cermak	2151 S. 54th Avenue, Cicero	Cicero

See also

• Chicago 'L'
• List of Chicago Elevated stations