North Side main line

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North Side Main Line
standard gauge
ElectrificationThird rail, 600 V DC
Route map

Legend
Evanston branch
to Linden
Skokie branch
to Dempster–Skokie
Evanston
Chicago
Howard Yard
2
1
4
3
1, 4: Tracks 1 & 4
2, 3: Tracks 2 & 3
(outer)
(inner)
 Howard
Jarvis
Morse
Loyola
Granville
Thorndale
Bryn Mawr
Berwyn
Argyle
Lawrence
Wilson
Wilson Yard
Buena Yard
Buena
Sheridan
Grace
Addison
Vautravers
Building
Building
relocated
Clark
Ravenswood branch
to Kimball
Clark Junction
 Belmont
Wellington
Diversey
Wrightwood
Fullerton
Webster
Armitage
Willow Portal
Willow
 Halsted
Larrabee
Sedgwick
Schiller
Division
State Street subway
Church Curve
Oak
Chicago
Grand
Kinzie
North Water Terminal
Chicago River
Loop
This diagram:

The North Side Main Line is a branch of the

Howard Street in Rogers Park down to Lake Street in Chicago's Loop
. The branch serves the north side of the city 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Since 2005, this branch has been renovated several times and is currently being reconstructed. On January 7, 2011, CTA requested a rehabilitation program for the North Side Main Line.

Red Ahead program.[4]

Route

The North Side Main Line connects to five other branches of the Chicago 'L', including the

Yellow Line runs through southern Evanston en route to its terminus in Skokie
.

The North Side Main Line serves the

Wrigleyville, Uptown, Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods of Chicago, and has stops near Wrigley Field and Loyola University
.

Connection

Yellow and Purple Line trains merge onto the line at its northern terminus, the Howard Street Station. Red Line trains and the weekday rush hour Purple Line Express trains continue south on the part of the line that is known as the Howard Branch. The Ravenswood branch connects to the Main Line north of the

Belmont
station, where Brown Line trains merge onto the Main Line.

The part of the line south of this junction is known as the Loop Branch or the Ravenswood Connector. On the portion of this branch shared by Red and Brown Line trains, Red Line trains operate express on the inside tracks, while Brown and Purple Line Express trains run local on the outer two tracks. The Red Line passes through

Fullerton
.

After Fullerton, the Red Line descends into a portal after

Merchandise Mart
, where they cross the Wells Street Bridge and enter the Loop at Tower 18.

History

The line began operation on May 31, 1900, between The Loop and

Central street in Evanston.[2] From 1919 to 1963, the line was also utilized by interurban trains of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad.[5][6]

Since 2002, the main line has gone through plenty of renovations and rehabilitation projects and those projects are still going on as of today. Station renovations and track replacements have been happening ever since early 2012 and the CTA has been recently renovating all the Howard branch stations as part of the Red North Station Interim Improvements (see below).

Red North Station Interim Improvements

In November 2011, the

Jarvis
. The project started on June 1, 2012 at Granville and finished its renovation on December 13, 2012 at Jarvis. The project also caused the elimination of slow zones in which trains accelerate faster than usual.

Red & Purple Modernization Project

As part of the program, the

Thorndale.[9]

In 2011, CTA planned a scoping process and which they provided public meetings and a comment period. The purpose of the scoping process was to ask operators and attentive parties to provide guidance on the proposed alternatives, the purpose and need for the project and the proposed topics of evaluation and potential effects and mitigation measures to be considered. During the scoping process CTA introduced six alternatives as part of the project.

This project will completely rebuild the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr stations and the construction of a new Red-Purple bypass, construction on the project began on October 2, 2019 and will be completed in 2025.[10][11]

Wilson Station Reconstruction Project

From 2014 to 2018, The Chicago Department of Transportation rebuilt the Wilson station, which serves as a major transfer point between Red and Purple Line Express trains.

island platforms to provide access between the two lines, two auxiliary entrances: one at Sunnyside Avenue and one on the north side of Wilson.[13]

Reconstruction began in October 2014 and ended in February 2018. The station remained open during reconstruction. The complete set of renderings and boards on display during the open house meeting are now available.[14]

Station listing

Station Location Notes
Howard Disabled access 7519 N. Paulina Street Transfer station for all 'L' routes serving this station
Jarvis 1523 W. Jarvis Avenue
Morse 1358 W. Morse Avenue
Loyola Disabled access 1200 W. Loyola Avenue
Granville Disabled access 1119 W. Granville Avenue Edgewater, Berger Park
Thorndale 1118 W. Thorndale Avenue
Bryn Mawr 1119 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue
Berwyn 1121 W. Berwyn Avenue
Argyle 1118 W. Argyle Street
Lawrence 1117 W. Lawrence Avenue
Wilson Disabled access 4620 N.
Broadway Street
Buena
 Buena Avenue and Kenmore Avenue Closed August 1, 1949
Sheridan 3940 N. Sheridan Road
Grace
 Grace Street and Sheffield Avenue Closed August 1, 1949
Addison Disabled access 940 W. Addison Street
Clark
 Clark Street and Roscoe Street Closed August 1, 1949
Belmont Disabled access 945 W.
Belmont Avenue
 Transfer station for all 'L' routes serving this station
Wellington Disabled access 945 W. Wellington Avenue
Diversey Disabled access 943 W. Diversey Avenue
Wrightwood Closed August 1, 1949
Fullerton Disabled access 943 W. Fullerton Avenue Transfer station for all 'L' routes serving this station
Webster Closed August 1, 1949
Armitage Disabled access 944 W. Armitage Avenue
Willow Willow Street and Sheffield Avenue Closed on May 17, 1942
Halsted Closed August 1, 1949
Larrabee Larrabee Street, Ogden Avenue and North Avenue Closed August 1, 1949
Sedgwick Disabled access 1536 N. Sedgwick Street
Schiller
 Closed August 1, 1949
Division Closed August 1, 1949
Oak Oak Street and Orleans Street Closed August 1, 1949
Chicago Disabled access 301 W. Chicago Avenue
Grand Grand Avenue and Franklin Street Closed September 20, 1970
Kinzie
 Kinzie Street and Wells Street Closed 1921; replaced by Grand
Merchandise Mart Disabled access 350 N. Wells Street
North Water Terminal
 North Water Street and Clark Street Opened November 17, 1908, closed August 1, 1949

Image gallery

  • The North Side Main Line runs on the old Northwestern Elevated Railroad
    The North Side Main Line runs on the old Northwestern Elevated Railroad
  • The Belmont station under construction in 2007
    The Belmont station under construction in 2007
  • A temporarily rerouted Red Line train leaves the North Side Main Line and enters the Loop
    A temporarily rerouted Red Line train leaves the North Side Main Line and enters the Loop
  • The Howard station complex serves as the end of the main line
    The Howard station complex serves as the end of the main line

See also

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. ^ a b Garfield, Graham. "North Side Main Line". Chicago-L.org. Chicago 'L'. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  3. ^ "CTA wants input on North Side Mainline Rehab". Prairie State Blue. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  4. ^ "CTA Red Ahead". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  5. ISBN 9780915348060
    .
  6. ISBN 0-915348-07-1
    .
  7. ^ "CTA Red Ahead - Red North project". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  8. ^ "Red & Purple Modernization". Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  9. ^ "Environmental Impact Statement Scoping Information" (PDF). North Red and Purple Modernization Project. Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  10. ^ "Work Begins on CTA's $2 Billion Red & Purple Modernization Project". 2 October 2019.
  11. ^ "StackPath".
  12. ^ "Red Ahead - Wilson Station Reconstruction". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "Wilson Reconstruction Project Display Boards". Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
  14. ^ "Wilson Reconstruction Project Display Boards". Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved October 13, 2012.

External links

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