Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad
Appearance
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standard gauge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad (known as the Met or Polly "L"Pink Line.
Operation
At 6:00 am on May 7, 1895, the first train of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated left the
Robey Street station bound for the downtown terminal at Canal.[1]
Consolidation
In 1913, Chicago's four elevated railroad companies came together to form the Chicago Elevated Railways Collateral Trust establishing crosstown services for the first time. In 1924 all four companies were formally united to form the
Humboldt Park Branch
was cut back to a shuttle to Damen Avenue. The Humboldt Park branch would be discontinued a year later.
In 1952, the Douglas branch was shortened to its current terminal at
54th/Cermak[4] and the Humboldt Park branch was closed.[5] The construction of the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) required the demolition of the Garfield Park branch and the Main Line but also called for a replacement rapid transit line in the median of the expressway. In 1958, the Garfield Park Branch was replaced by the new Congress Line.[6]
Much of the Metropolitan still operates today, with the
Pink Line
.
References
- ^ a b "New "L" Road Opens". Chicago Daily Tribune. May 7, 1895. p. 12.
- ISBN 0-915348-30-6.
- ^ Garfield, Graham. "Unification". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
- ^ Garfield, Graham. "Douglas". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ Garfield, Graham. "Humboldt Park". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved January 20, 2009.
- ^ Garfield, Graham. "Garfield Park". Chicago "L".org. Retrieved January 20, 2009.