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Chicago, Illinois: The Brown Line 'L'

Description

The Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit Brown Line circles the Loop 'L', then zigzags north and west to the Albany Park neighborhood, a distance of about 11.5 miles. It runs almost completely on an elevated structure, except for about a mile at the northern end, which runs at ground level. Unusually for North American rapid-transit lines, the ground-level section has frequent grade crossings, protected by standard railroad-type crossing gates and signals. (The outer end of the Pink Line to 54th/Cermak is similar.)

The Brown Line was originally part of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. The section from the Loop to Belmont was part of the main line which opened in 1900; the branch from Belmont to Kimball opened in 1907. The area beyond Western Avenue was at that time almost empty; the ground-level section between Western and Kimball was subsidized at first by the company that was developing that area.

The Brown Line is currently (May 2007) undergoing a major renovation in which all stations are being modernized and enlarged to accommodate 8-car trains (instead of the former 6), to alleviate overcrowding.

Pictures

[picture] Leaving the Loop area, the line crosses the Chicago River on the upper deck of the Wells Street bridge. [August 2001]

[picture] At Sedgwick the line runs briefly east/west before turning northwards again. Here we are looking out the front of a train approaching Sedgwick from the north (west), with a northbound train in the station and some lakeside high-rise apartment buildings in the background. Note the unused express platforms. [August 2001]

[picture] Just before Armitage, the Red Line emerges from its subway and joins the Brown Line to form four tracks. From here to Belmont, the Brown Line serves the outer (local) tracks and the Red line the express (inner) tracks. [August 2001]

[picture] The entrance to the Armitage station, which dates from 1900. [August 2001]

[picture] Just north of Belmont, the Brown and Red Lines separate. Here we see a northbound Brown Line train crossing the Red Line tracks as it turns west. This picture and the next one are fuzzier than usual because they're enlarged greatly from the negatives. Next time I visit here, I'll take a telephoto lens! [August 2001]

[picture] This is Chicago? Between Rockwell and Francisco, the Brown Line crosses the north branch of the Chicago River in a bucolic scene with pleasure boats tied up at docks along the riverbank. [August 2001]

[picture] The outer section of the Brown Line runs at ground level with frequent grade crossings protected by ordinary crossing gates and signals, such as this one at Francisco, showing a station entrance sandwiched between the tracks. [August 2001]

[picture] Even at Kedzie Ave., a busy commercial street, trains cross at grade, every ten minutes in each direction during the day. [August 2001]

[picture] Just inside the entrance to the Kimball terminal, looking up the steps to the platform. [August 2001]

[picture] Next to the Kimball station is a small park-and-ride lot, with the Brown Line storage yard behind it. [August 2001]

This page was last revised on 11 May 2007, and verified on 3 December 2007.

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

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