Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)

Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)

Infobox rail line
name = color box|#CTA color|Brown Brown Line



image_width = 275 px
caption = A Brown Line train in the Kimball terminal.
type = Rapid transit
system = Chicago 'L'
status = Operational
locale = Chicago, Illinois, USA
start = Kimball
end = Loop
stations = 28
routes =
ridership = approx. 90,000 (avg. weekday boardings)
open = May 18, 1907
close =
owner =
operator = Chicago Transit Authority
character = Elevated and Street Level
stock = 3200-series
linelength = 11.4 mi
tracklength =
notrack =
gauge =
el = Third rail
speed =
elevation =

CTA Brown Line|
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 aprx. 90,000 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, running only between the northern terminus Kimball and 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, southbound riders can transfer to the 24-hour Red Line.

Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Route; specifically, the series of stations from Belmont to Kimball were called the Ravenswood branch. Accordingly, the Kimball-Belmont shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle. Some Chicago transit riders and historians still refer to the line by those names.

Operation

The Brown Line starts out in northwest Chicago, at the Kimball and Lawrence Avenue terminal (3400 W. - 4800 N.) in Albany Park, 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, about one-half block parallel and west of Metra's Union Pacific North railroad line 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 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, then Wells Street, a stop is made at the Merchandise Mart before crossing the Chicago River on the upper lever of the Wells Street Bridge before joining the Loop Elevated at Lake Street. Operating counterclockwise, Brown Line trains extend around the Loop over the Outer track via Wells-Van Buren-Wabash-Lake, serving all Loop stations, before the return trip back north to the Albany Park terminal.

Operating fleet

Currently, the Brown Line's rolling stock consists solely of Morrison-Knudsen-built 3200-Series cars, delivered between 1992 and 1994.

Beginning March 30, 2008, the Brown Line began running eight cars on trains during rush periods, since all of the re-opened or renovated stations have been rebuilt to accommodate eight-car trains. [ [http://www.transitchicago.com/news/ctaandpress.wu?action=displayarticledetail&articleid=125376 Press Release - Eight Car Service to Begin on Brown Line] . transitchicago.com. ] (Stations currently closed for renovation -- Damen, Irving Park, Paulina and Wellington -- will accommodate eight-car trains when reopened.) Prior to this, although ridership certainly warranted eight-car trains on the Ravenswood–Brown Line during rush periods, some stations on the line couldn't berth longer than six-car trains. Six cars are standard on the Brown Line during midday. Early morning, late evening, and weekend service is generally provided by four-car trains, although this may vary due to special events.

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 were the only ADA accessible stations on the Brown Line outside of the Loop.

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. [ [http://ctabrownline.com/capacity.html Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project] . ctabrownline.com ] 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. [ [http://ctabrownline.com/rockwell.html Rockwell station] . ctabrownline.com ] As of September 2008, 12 of 18 stations have been completed or re-opened, making them accessible to people with disabilities - Kimball, Kedzie, Francisco, Rockwell, Western, Montrose, Addison, Southport, Diversey, Armitage, Sedgwick and Chicago. The project is scheduled for completion in 2009 and is expected to cost $530 million. [http://www.ctabrownline.com]

tation listing

At Clark/Lake, Brown Line trains head back to Merchandise Mart, then make all stops in reverse to Kimball.

See also

* Chicago 'L'
* List of Chicago El stations

References

External links

* [http://ctabrownline.com/about.html About the Brown Line] at [http://ctabrownline.com/ Countdown to a New Brown] - official CTA site
* [http://www.chicago-l.org/operations/lines/brown.html Brown Line] at [http://www.chicago-l.org/ Chicago-'L'.org]
* [http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/rail.html Train schedules] at [http://www.transitchicago.com/ CTA official site]


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