Pink Line (Chicago Transit Authority)

The Pink Line (Douglas-Loop Service) is a rapid transit line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Chicago 'L' system. It began operation for a 180-day trial period on June 25, 2006, running between 54/Cermak Station in Cicero, Illinois and the the Loop in downtown Chicago. The CTA has since added two six-month extensions to this trial. The route to the Loop follows tracks shared with Green Line trains on Lake Street, connected by the previously non-revenue Paulina Connector.

1 Background
2 Operation
- 2.1 Douglas Branch Blue Line closing
3 Operating fleet
4 Possible route to Ravenswood
5 Station listing
6 References
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] Background

In January 2005, the CTA held hearings on its proposal to reroute trains from 54th/Cermak via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street Green Line, carrying Douglas branch trains to and around the elevated Chicago Loop (clockwise) for the first time since Douglas trains began using the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway in downtown Chicago on June 22, 1958. This would allow a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Line, since service would no longer be divided between the Forest Park and 54th/Cermak destinations. The CTA has also promised that service to/from 54th/Cermak would be increased 100% during rush hour.

At the initial time of proposal, this plan was often referred to as the "Silver Line," as the original idea was to use grey as the line color on printed materials and give it the friendlier route name of "Silver."

Opposition to the plan centers on loss of access to other Blue Line destinations such as UIC campus. The CTA has said that two rush hour trains per hour from 54th/Cermak (Douglas) will be routed through the subway to O'Hare International Airport.

On February 15, 2006, the CTA approved the separate plan. Non-rush hour trains would all be routed via the Loop, Green Line, and Paulina Connector. During rush hour, service will be available on this routing as well as the original route via the Dearborn Street Subway. These changes were implemented beginning June 25, 2006, with the initial trial period scheduled to conclude 180 days later on December 22, 2006.

[edit] Operation

The Pink Line began operation on June 25, 2006, using a rebuilt connecting line that had not been used in regular revenue service for nearly 50 years.

The service, which was originally set up as a temporary service to be run for a trial period of 180 days (6 months), doubles service on both the Douglas branch (now mostly Pink Line) and the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line. This is accomplished by routing all but 12 trains per day coming from O'Hare to Forest Park, and adding entirely new service from the 54th Avenue terminal in Cicero to the Loop via the Paulina Connector and the Lake Street branch of the Green Line. Douglas trains circle downtown Chicago clockwise around the Inner Loop track via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells before returning west and southbound via Lake-Paulina to Cicero.

Previously all trains of the Douglas branch operated via the Milwaukee-Dearborn-Congress Subway through to O'Hare Airport.

On March 30, 2006, the Chicago Transit Authority announced that of the top three colors, Pink, Gold and Silver, Pink had received the most votes in a write-in essay contest for Chicago-area schoolchildren in kindergarten through 8th grade—a $1,000 savings bond was awarded to a selected essay writer who advocated the color pink.^[1]

On 12 December 2006 the CTA board approved a six month extension to the trial period before making a decision on whether or not to make the changes permanent,^[2] and another 180-day extension was added to the trial in June 2007.^[3]

[edit] Douglas Branch Blue Line closing

On April 27, 2008 the CTA began a six-month experimental ceasing of Blue Line operations on the Douglas Branch. All Douglas Branch operations will now be served by the Pink Line ^[4]

[edit] Operating fleet

The Pink Line, like the Blue Line, is operated using the Budd-built 2600-Series rail cars. This is primarily due to the fact that the Douglas branch is still generally part of the Blue Line, even though the Blue Line no longer runs down the Douglas Branch. Trains usually consists of only four cars during much of the day, and only two cars during late evenings on weekends. The Douglas Yard does occasionally send out six-car trains during rush hour, but this only occurs when there are extra cars in the yard.

[edit] Possible route to Ravenswood

In 2002, the CTA proposed the creation of the "Circle Line", which would utilize segments of existing rail lines to keep new construction to a minimum, in addition to 6.6 miles of new subway and elevated segments to the 'L' system to complete the circumferential route. Maps additionally suggested a possible extension of the existing Brown Line beyond the Loop to 54th/Cermak via the Green Line and the Paulina Connector, and Orange Line service from Chicago Midway International Airport to Kimball, as other potential routings using the new infrastructure. This project is currently undergoing a standard federally mandated alternatives analysis.

[edit] Station listing

Pink Line
Station	Location	Points of interest and notes
Oak Park	Oak Park Avenue and 22nd Street	Closed February 3, 1952
Ridgeland	Ridgeland Avenue and 21st Street	Closed February 3, 1954
Lombard	Lombard Avenue and 21st Street	Closed February 3, 1954
Austin	Austin Boulevard and 21st Street	Closed February 3, 1954
58th Avenue	58th Avenue and 21st Street	Closed February 3, 1954
Central	Central Avenue and Cermak Road	Closed February 3, 1952
54/Cermak	2151 S. 54th Avenue., Cicero, Illinois	Cicero
Laramie	2130 S. Laramie Avenue	Closed February 9, 1992; re-opened in December 2001 during Douglas Branch renovation and closed on August 16, 2003
50th Avenue	2133 S. 50th Avenue	Closed 1978
Cicero	2134 S. Cicero Avenue.,Cicero, Illinois	Cicero, BNSF Railway Line (Metra) Station
Kenton	Cermak Road west of Kilbourn Avenue	Closed December 9, 1951
Kostner	2019 S. Kostner Avenue
Pulaski	2021 S. Pulaski Road
Lawndale	Lawndale Avenue and 21st Street	Closed December 9, 1951
Central Park	1944 S. Central Park Avenue
Drake	Drake Avenue and 21st Street	Closed December 9, 1951
Homan	Homan Avenue and 21st Street	Closed December 9, 1951
Kedzie	1944 S. Kedzie Avenue
Douglas Park	2008 S. Marshall Blvd.	Closed May 3, 1952
California	2010 S. California Avenue
Western	2010 S. Western Avenue	BNSF Railway Line (Metra) Station
Damen	2010 S. Damen Avenue	Heart of Chicago
Wood	Wood Street and 21st Street	Closed May 19, 1957
18th	1710 W. 18th Street	Pilsen, St. Adalbert's, Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
14th Place	14th Place and Paulina Street	Closed December 9, 1951
Roosevelt	Roosevelt Road and Paulina Street	Closed May 3, 1952
Polk	1713 W. Polk Street	Illinois Medical District
Ashland	1601 W. Lake St.	Transfer to Green Line trains
Clinton	540 W. Lake St.	Ogilvie Transportation Center
Clark/Lake	100 W. Lake St.	Transfer to Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, and Purple Line trains
State/Lake	200 N. State St.	Transfer to Red Line trains
Randolph/Wabash	151 N. Wabash Ave.	Millennium Station
Madison/Wabash	2 N. Wabash Ave.
Adams/Wabash	201-23 S. Wabash Ave.	Transfer to Green and Orange Line trains
Library-State/Van Buren	1 W. Van Buren St.	Transfer to Orange Line trains
LaSalle/Van Buren	121 W. Van Buren St.	LaSalle Street Station
Quincy	220 S. Wells St.	Union Station
Washington/Wells	100 N. Wells St.	Transfer to Brown and Purple Line trains