Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Chicago > CTA Blue Line

Chicago, Illinois: The Blue Line "L"

Description

The Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line "L" runs from O'Hare Airport in the northwest, through downtown Chicago, then to Forest Park in the west. It consists of remnants of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway (first opened in 1895), the Dearborn/Milwaukee subway (opened 1951), the Forest Park branch along the median of the Eisenhower Expressway (opened 1958) and an extension to O'Hare (1970/1984). A trip from the Loop to O'Hare covers a wide variety of trackage and stations from various periods.

Until 2006, trains to Forest Park alternated with trains serving the Douglas branch to 54th/Cermak along another former branch of the Metropolitan "L". This branch is now mostly served by the Pink Line which began operation in 2006, via the Paulina Connector, the Lake Street "L", and the Loop. Some Douglas trains still run via the Blue Line during rush hours.

Pictures

These pictures were taken in August 2001. They cover only the northwest leg to O'Hare; I hope to cover the Forest Park section on a future visit.

[picture] In the downtown Loop area, the Blue Line runs in a subway under Dearborn Street, which opened in 1951. Here is the platform at Jackson, which has a connection to the Red Line.

An interesting feature of this subway is that the stations under Dearborn Street are joined together into a single platform, 2500 feet (760 meters) long. The stations at Washington, Adams and Monroe are simply different stopping points along this platform, served by different sets of stairways and escalators. One can walk the entire length of the platform without boarding a train. The State Street subway of the Red Line has a similar arrangement, with a 3300-foot (1005-meter) platform accommodating four stations.

[picture] The Jackson station is connected to its sister station on the Red Line (in the parallel State Street subway) by two block-long passageways: this one below track level, which has direct access to the platforms, and another one at mezzanine level, which is outside the fare-paid area. A similar pair of passageways connects the Washington stations.

[picture[ The subway station at Clark/Lake serves as a transfer point to the elevated Loop "L". Formerly one had to get a paper transfer ticket, but now the subway and elevated stations are a single fare-paid area.

[picture] After leaving the Loop area, the Blue Line subway turns northwest to run under Milwaukee Avenue. Here is the station at Grand.

[picture] Between the Division and Damen stations, the Blue Line leaves the subway and runs on an elevated structure (parallel to Milwaukee Avenue) that was built as the Logan Square branch of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad in 1895. Here we see the Damen station crossing over Damen Avenue.

[picture] The Damen station house dates to the line's opening in 1895.

[picture] Underneath the elevated structure, looking southeast from the station entrance.

[picture] On the platform at Damen looking northwest as an outbound train pulls out. Just beyond the station, the Humboldt Park branch once turned off to the left; it was abandoned in 1952.

[picture] Just before Logan Square, the Blue Line enters another subway, opened in 1970. The underground station at Logan Square replaced the old elevated terminal of the Logan Square branch.

[picture #1] | [picture #2] After the second subway, the Blue Line runs in the median of the Kennedy Expressway for the rest of its route to O'Hare Airport. Here are two views looking east and west from Montrose Avenue, the second one showing the Montrose station. This section (as far as Jefferson Park) opened in 1970.

[picture] The Rosemont station (opened in 1983) is the last one before O'Hare Airport. It serves the Rosemont Convention Center and a cluster of hotels, and has a large park-and-ride lot.

[picture] Approaching the airport, the tracks run in the median of the airport access road.

[picture] The underground terminal at O'Hare Airport (opened in 1984) has distinctive wave-shaped side walls made of glass blocks, with colored back-lighting.

This page was last updated on 11 May 2007, and links checked on 27 April 2009.

Presbyterian College > Academic Web Server > Jon Bell > Transit > (Cities | Types) > Chicago > CTA Blue Line

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