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Chicago 'L'

Chicago "L"
20120624 CTA L 5000SERIES PINK311 54CERMAK.JPG
A Pink Line train approaching Randolph/Wabash
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
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
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 12 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)
System map

Chicago L diagram sb.svg


Chicago L diagram sb.svg

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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Wikipedia

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