Chicago "L"
A Pink Line train approaching Randolph/Wabash
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois, United States | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 8 | ||
| Line number |
Red Line Orange Line Yellow Line Green Line Blue Line Purple Line Brown Line Pink Line |
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| Number of stations | 145 | ||
| Daily ridership | 767,730 (average weekday, 2015) | ||
| Annual ridership | 241.96 million (2015) | ||
| Chief executive | Dorval R. Carter, Jr. | ||
| Headquarters | 567 West Lake St. Chicago, Illinois |
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| Website | Chicago Transit Authority | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | June 6, 1892 | ||
| Operator(s) | Chicago Transit Authority | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 102.8 mi (165.4 km) | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Minimum radius of curvature | 90 feet (27,432 mm) | ||
| Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | ||
| Top speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) | ||
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The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). It is the fourth largest rapid transit system in the United States in terms of total route length, at 102.8 miles (165.4 km) long, and the third busiest rail mass transit system in the United States after the New York City Subway and Washington Metro.
Chicago's "L" provides 24-hour service on some portions of its network, being one of only five rapid transit systems in the United States to do so. (The others are the New York City Subway, Staten Island Railway, PATH, and Philadelphia's PATCO Speedline.) The oldest sections of the Chicago "L" started operations in 1892, making it the second oldest rapid transit system in the Americas, after New York City's elevated lines.
The "L" has been credited with fostering the growth of Chicago's dense city core that is one of the city's distinguishing features. The "L" consists of eight rapid transit lines laid out in a spoke–hub distribution paradigm focusing transit towards the Loop. Although the "L" gained its name because large parts of the system are elevated, portions of the network are also in subway tunnels, at grade level, or open cut.
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