The Loop (CTA)

The Loop (historically Union Loop, or commonly Loop) is the 1.79-mile (2.88 km) long circuit of elevated railroad that forms the hub of the Chicago "L" system in Chicago, Illinois.

The Loop
The southeastern corner of The Loop
Overview
TypeRapid transit
SystemChicago "L"
StatusOperational
LocaleChicago, Illinois, USA
Stations8
Services  Orange Line
  Green Line
  Purple Line Express
  Brown Line
  Pink Line
Operation
Opened1895–1897
Operator(s)Chicago Transit Authority
CharacterElevated
Technical
Track length1.79 miles (2.9 km)
Track gaugeLua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found.
Minimum radius90 feet (27 m)

As of 2012, the branch has served 74,651 passengers every weekday.[1]

The Loop is so named because the railroad loops around a rectangle formed by Lake Street (north side), Wabash Avenue (east), Van Buren Street (south), and Wells Street (west). The railroad loop has given its name to Chicago's downtown, which is known as the Loop.[2] However, transportation historian Bruce Moffat has concluded that "The Loop" was not used as a proper noun until after Charles Yerkes' 1895–97 construction of the elevated structure.[3]

The Loop (CTA) Media

References

  1. "2012 Annual Ridership Report" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  2. Joe Thompson, Cable Car Lines in Chicago
  3. Patrick T. Reardon. "It All Starts Downtown"[dead link]. Hartford Courant, July 26, 2004 (from the Chicago Tribune). Accessed 19 March 2009.