Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
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The Brown Line (Ravenswood Service) of the Chicago Transit Authority Chicago 'L' rapid transit system, is an 11.4 mile route with 19 stations between Albany Park on the north and downtown Chicago. It runs completely above ground and is one of CTA's busiest rail lines, serving more than 66,000 passengers each weekday. The Brown Line runs completely within the city limits of Chicago, Illinois.
The Brown Line operates to the Loop weekdays and Saturdays from about 5am to 12:30am and on Sundays from 7am to midnight. The Brown Line Shuttle, service limited to stops north of Belmont, runs from about 4am to 5am and about 12:30am to 2:30 am on weekdays and Saturdays, and about 5am to 6am and about midnight to 1am on Sundays. At Belmont, it is possible to transfer to the 24-hour Red Line to continue downtown, if necessary.
Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Line; specifically, the series of stations from Belmont to Kimball were called the Ravenswood branch. Accordingly, the shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle. Some Chicagoans still refer to the line by those names.
The Brown Line stops at the world's second largest commercial building, the Merchandise Mart. The Quincy stop is near the Sears Tower.
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[edit] Operation
The Brown Line starts out in northwest Chicago, at the Kimball and Lawrence Avenue terminal (3400 W. - 4800 N.), where there is a storage yard and servicing shop for the trains to the east of the passenger station. From there, trains operate over street level tracks between Leland and Eastwood Avenues to Rockwell Avenue, then ramp up to the elevated structure for the rest of the trip.
After the Damen station, the route turns south to parallel Metra's Union Pacific North railroad line about one-half block to the west to a point south of the Addison station. Here the route turns east again towards Sheffield Avenue where it once again turns south to join the four-track North Side elevated line in Lakeview. From just north of Belmont station southward to Armitage, Brown Line and Red Line trains operate side-by-side, with Purple Line Express trains sharing the tracks during weekday rush periods. Brown and Purple Line trains run on the outermost tracks serving five stops, while Red Line trains run on the innermost tracks making only two stops.
South of the Armitage station, Brown and Purple Line trains continue southward towards the Chicago Loop on elevated track which zigzags its way through the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Near North Side before stopping at Chicago and Franklin. Running over Franklin Street, a stop is made at the Merchandise Mart before continuing over the Chicago River. The line joins the Loop Elevated tracks at Lake Street, continuing south and stopping at Washington and Wells. Operating counterclockwise on the outer tracks, Brown Line trains extend around the Loop via Wells-Van Buren-Wabash-Lake serving all Loop stations, before the return trip back north to the Albany Park terminal.
Currently, the Brown Line's rolling stock is comprised mostly of Morrison-Knudsen 3200-series railcars, purchased from 1992 to 1994 and the newest on the CTA system. It is also equipped with a handful of older 2600-series cars.
Although ridership would certainly warrant eight-car trains on the Brown Line during rush periods, most stations on the line cannot berth longer than six-car trains. Six cars are standard on the Brown Line during weekday rush hours as well as midday. Early morning, late evening, and weekend service is generally provided by four-car trains, although this may vary due to special city events.
[edit] History
The Ravenswood branch was opened on May 18, 1907 by the former Northwestern Elevated Railroad Company between the Loop and Western and Leland Avenues in Lincoln Square. The route was completed to the Kimball/Lawrence terminal on December 14, 1907. The Ravenswood Line remains basically unchanged since its early days, aside from a few cosmetic upgrades to its stations and elevated structures. The Kimball/Lawrence terminal was completely remodeled and a new bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River was completed in the 1970s. The Western and Merchandise Mart stations were rebuilt in the 1980s. Prior to the start of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project these two stations, along with the Kimball/Lawrence terminal comprised the only ADA accessible stations on the Brown Line outside of the Loop.
[edit] Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project
On February 20, 2006 the CTA formally broke ground on the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project in order to repair its aging infrastructure and increase passenger capacity at Brown Line stations. The primary features of the project include:
- Reconstruction of stations and trackage and make each station ADA compliant
- Lengthening of platforms to accommodate eight-car trains
- Modernization of right-of-way between Kimball and Rockwell Avenue
- Upgrade of traction power equipment and train control systems
- Installation of a new fiber optic communication network.
The first two stations to be rebuilt—Kedzie and Rockwell—reopened on 16 August 2006. The project is scheduled for completion in 2009 and is expected to cost $530 million. [1]
[edit] Station listing
| Brown Line (Ravenswood branch) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Station | Location | Points of interest |
Kimball  |
4755 N. Kimball Avenue | North Park University |
| Kedzie |
4648 N. Kedzie Avenue | |
| Francisco | 4648 N. Francisco Avenue | |
| Rockwell |
4648 N. Rockwell Street | |
| Western |
4648 N. Western Avenue | Lincoln Square, Chicago |
| Damen | 4645 N. Damen Avenue | |
| Montrose | 1814 W. Montrose Avenue | |
| Irving Park | 1816 W. Irving Park Road | |
| Addison | 1818 W. Addison Street | |
| Paulina | 3411 N. Paulina Street | Roscoe Village |
| Southport | 3411 N. Southport Avenue | Music Box Theatre, alternate for Wrigley Field |
| Belmont | 945 W. Belmont Avenue | Lakeview, Briar Street Theatre
Transfer station for Red and Purple Lines |
| Wellington | 945 W. Wellington Avenue | Illinois Masonic Medical Center |
| Diversey | 940 W. Diversey Avenue | Lincoln Park |
| Fullerton | 943 W. Fullerton Avenue | Lincoln Park, DePaul University
Transfer station for Red and Purple Lines |
| Armitage | 944 W. Armitage Avenue | Goose Island Brewery |
| Sedgwick | 1536 N. Sedgwick Street | The Second City, Piper's Alley, Old Town |
| Chicago | 300 W. Chicago Avenue | Moody Bible Institute, River North Gallery District |
| Merchandise Mart |
350 N. Wells Street | Chicago Merchandise Mart
Transfer station for Purple Line |
| Washington/Wells |
100 S. Wells Street | Chicago City Hall, Civic Opera House, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Ogilvie Transportation Center
Transfer station for Orange Line |
| Quincy | 220 S. Wells Street | Sears Tower, Union Station |
| LaSalle/Van Buren | 121 W. Van Buren Street | Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange
Transfer station for Metra trains |
| Library-State/Van Buren |
26 W. Van Buren Street | Harold Washington Library |
| Adams/Wabash | 201 S. Wabash Avenue | Grant Park, Petrillo Music Shell, Buckingham Fountain, Art Institute of Chicago
Transfer station for Orange and Green Lines |
| Madison/Wabash | 2 N. Wabash Avenue | Jewelers Row |
| Randolph/Wabash | 151 N. Wabash Avenue | Marshall Field's, Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park
Transfer station for Metra trains and South Shore Line |
| State/Lake | 200 N. State Street | Chicago Theatre, Gene Siskel Film Center
Transfer station for Red Line |
| Clark/Lake |
100 W. Lake Street, Chicago | James R. Thompson Center, Richard J. Daley Center
Transfer station for Green, Orange Pink Line, Purple Line (weekday rush hour periods only) , and Blue Lines |
At Clark/Lake, Brown Line trains head back to Merchandise Mart, then make all stops in reverse to Kimball.
