Chicago "L"
The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated railway")[3] is the Chicago rapid transit system. It serves the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois.
| Chicago "L" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 A Pink Line train approaching Randolph/Wabash station | |||
| Info | |||
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois, United States | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 8[1] | ||
| Number of stations | 145[1] | ||
| Daily ridership | 767,730 (average weekday, 2015)[2] | ||
| Chief executive | Dorval R. Carter, Jr. | ||
| Headquarters | 567 West Lake St. Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Website | Chicago Transit Authority | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | June 6, 1892[1] | ||
| Operator(s) | Chicago Transit Authority | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 102.8 mi (165.4 km)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found. | ||
| Minimum radius of curvature | 90 feet (27,432 mm) | ||
| Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | ||
| Top speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) | ||
| |||
The "L" is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). It is the fourth-largest rapid transit system in the United States. It is 102.8 miles (165.4 km) long,[1] and the second-busiest rail mass transit system in the United States, after the New York City Subway.[4]
Chicago's "L" has 24-hour service on some portions of its network. It is one of only five rapid transit systems in the United States to do so.[5] The oldest sections of the Chicago "L" started operations in 1892, making it the second-oldest rapid transit system in the Americas, after New York City's elevated lines.
Chicago "L" Media
Chicago Transit Authority 4451 at the Fox River Trolley Museum
A train on the "L" in 1949 as photographed by Stanley Kubrick for Look magazine
The Brown and Purple Chicago "L" lines run above vehicular traffic on Franklin Street in the Near North Side community area.
Pink and Green line elevated tracks crossing Franklin Street in the Loop
The Jackson/State subway stop on the Red Line
A Red Line train pulls into Adams/Wabash, being rerouted over elevated tracks due to construction in the State Street subway.
Route map of the "L" with Red, Yellow, and Orange Line extensions
"L" train wrapped in pink to mark the start of the Pink Line trial service
Fullerton station on the North Side for the Red, Brown, and Purple Lines, midway through reconstruction in December 2007
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "CTA Facts at a Glance".
- ↑ "Annual Ridership Report: Calendar Year 2015" (PDF). Transitchicago.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
- ↑ "Our Services". Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
- ↑ "American Public Transportation Rider Reports Year End 2014" (PDF). Apta.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ The four other rapid transit systems in the U.S. that provide 24-hour service are the New York City Subway, Staten Island Railway, PATH, and Philadelphia's PATCO Speedline.