The Ravenswood branch is a 4.7 mi (7.6 km) long branch of the Chicago "L" in Chicago, Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, it carries the Brown Line. As of February 2013, an average of 30,949 passengers are served each weekday on this branch.[1]

Ravenswood branch
A Brown Line train at Montrose
Overview
StatusOperational
LocaleChicago, Illinois, United States
Termini
Stations11
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemChicago "L"
ServicesBrown
Operator(s)Chicago Transit Authority (1947–present)
Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924–1947)
Northwestern Elevated Railroad (1907–1924)
Rolling stock2600-series, 3200-series
Daily ridership30,616
(calculated average weekday 2019)
History
OpenedMay 18, 1907
Technical
Line length4.7 mi (7.6 km)
CharacterElevated, At-Grade Level
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
ElectrificationThird rail, 600 V DC
Route map

Kimball Parking
Spaulding Avenue
Kedzie
Kedzie Avenue
Albany Avenue
Sacramento Avenue
Francisco
Manor Avenue
Rockwell
Rockwell Street
Western
Damen UP-N
Ravenswood
Montrose
Irving Park
Addison
Southport
Clark Junction
North Side Main Line

Service

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The Ravenswood Branch runs trains from Kimball to Belmont from 4:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. Monday thru Saturday and from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Sundays/Holidays, and runs trains from Belmont to Kimball from 5:00 a.m. to 2:25 a.m. Monday thru Saturday and from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Sundays/Holidays.[2] The Ravenswood Branch serves the Lakeview, Roscoe Village, North Center, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood Manor and Albany Park neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois.

History

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After its main line began service on May 31, 1900, the Northwestern Elevated Railroad focused on other expansion possibilities especially to the north-west of the city to serve the densely populated areas of Ravenswood. Despite financial difficulties, the Northwestern Elevated made it a priority and initially proposed an extension beyond Wilson at ground level in order to reduce construction costs. However, this proposal faced significant opposition which forced them to instead proposed an elevated line. In 1903, the Northwestern Elevated Railroad submitted a proposal to the City of Chicago for an elevated line to be built along Irving Park Road from the Sheridan station to Ravenswood Avenue, turning north on Ravenswood, before again turning west at Leland Avenue and terminating at Western Avenue. The conditions of the franchise that Northwestern Elevated received from the city required that the line follow a path between Roscoe Street and Newport Avenue from the main line to Ravenswood Avenue, rather than Irving Park road as in its proposal to the city. In 1906, work on the new line started, and on May 18, 1907 service began between Belmont and Western. The surface level track to Kimball entered service on December 14, 1907, along with three intermediate stations: Francisco, Kedzie and Rockwell. Service from Western to Kimball was initially solely a shuttle operation until March 1909. In 1913, Crosstown service was implemented and the Ravenswood Branch was connected to the South Side Elevated Railroad's Kenwood branch via the Loop.

On August 1, 1949, the current routing of service on the Ravenswood Branch (known today as the Brown Line) was established, and the Ravenswood station was closed. In September 1973, the CTA closed the Paulina station. However, the CTA reopened Paulina a month later. In October 1973, work began on a new station at Kimball, which opened in October 1974. On February 21, 1993, the CTA color coded its lines, and the Ravenswood Line was officially renamed the Brown Line. Ridership on the Ravenswood Branch increased from 8.1 million passengers per year in 1987 to 10.6 million in 1998, largely due to an increase in population of the neighborhoods served by the branch. As a result of the increased ridership, in the summer of 2000, the CTA expanded service to the Loop until midnight and offered a shuttle route between Kimball and Belmont before and after the standard service so that passengers can reach the Red Line which runs 24/7 365 days a year.[3]

Station listing

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Station Location Notes
Kimball     4755 N. Kimball Avenue
Kedzie   4648 N. Kedzie Avenue
Francisco   4648 N. Francisco Avenue
Rockwell   4648 N. Rockwell Street
Western   4648 N. Western Avenue
Damen     4645 N. Damen Avenue
Ravenswood 4530 N. Ravenswood Avenue Closed August 1, 1949; demolished
Montrose   1817 W. Montrose Avenue
Irving Park   1816 W. Irving Park Road
Addison   1818 W. Addison Street
Paulina   3410 N. Lincoln Avenue
Southport   3411 N. Southport Avenue
Belmont   945 W. Belmont Avenue
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References

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  1. ^ "Ridership Report: February 2013" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. transitchicago.com. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  2. ^ Brown Line ('L') Chicago Transit Authority. Accessed August 21, 2013
  3. ^ Brown Line: Ravenswood branch Chicago'L'.org. Accessed August 21, 2013
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