Editing Brown Line (CTA) (section)

==History==
The [[Northwestern Elevated Railroad]] opened the line, originally known as the Ravenswood line,  between the existing main line and [[Western (CTA Brown Line)|Western Avenue]] in [[Lincoln Square, Chicago|Lincoln Square]] on May 18, 1907.<ref>{{cite news|title=New 'L' Line Operated|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=19 May 1907}}</ref> The route was completed to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907.<ref>{{cite book|last=Borzo|first=Greg|title=The Chicago "L"|year=2007|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=978-0-7385-5100-5|page=133}}</ref>

The Kimball terminal was completely renovated and a new bridge over the North Branch of the [[Chicago River]] was completed in the 1970s. The [[Western station (CTA Brown Line)|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 terminal were the only [[Easy Access|ADA accessible]] stations on the Brown Line outside of the Loop.

===Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project===
[[File:Rockwell CTA 060820.jpg|thumb|The new Rockwell Station opened in August 2006.]]
The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project which ran from 2004 to 2009 was undertaken to repair aging infrastructure and increase passenger capacity.<ref>[http://ctabrownline.com/capacity.html Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project]. ctabrownline.com</ref> Work on the project began in late 2004 with signal upgrades, particularly at [[Clark station (CTA)|Clark Junction]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Chicago Transit Authority |title=Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project March 8, 2006 |url=http://ctabrownline.com/pdfs/communitymeeting_3-8-06.pdf |access-date=26 May 2023 |date=8 March 2006}}</ref> In February 2006, station reconstruction began with right-of-way modernization between Kimball and Rockwell Avenue. Traction power equipment and train control systems were upgraded and a new fiber optic communication network installed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicago-l.org/operations/lines/brown.html|title=Chicago ''L''.org: Operations - Lines -> Brown Line}}</ref>

Brown Line stations were rebuilt or modified meet ADA compliance and to accommodate eight-car trains, increasing from the previous maximum of six-cars. [[Merchandise Mart (CTA station)|Merchandise Mart]] was the only station not to receive any work as it had previously been reconstructed from 1987 to 1988, and was already ADA compliant and able to accommodate eight-car trains. Two stations, [[Kimball (CTA station)|Kimball]] and [[Western (CTA Brown Line station)|Western]], received small platform extensions but little other work, and the other 16 stations were completely rebuilt.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicago-l.org/operations/lines/brown.html|title=Chicago ''L''.org: Operations - Lines -> Brown Line}}</ref>

The first two stations to be completed, [[Kedzie (CTA Brown Line station)|Kedzie]] and [[Rockwell (CTA station)|Rockwell]], reopened on August 16, 2006,<ref>[http://ctabrownline.com/rockwell.html Rockwell station], ctabrownline.com</ref> and all of the stations had reopened by July 30, 2009, when the new Wellington station entered service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=2437|title = News/Informational articles}}</ref> The project was completed on December 31, 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctabrownline.com|title=Countdown To A New Brown - The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project}}</ref>

=== Red-Purple Bypass ===
The Red & Purple Modernization Project includes a redesign of a [[level junction|diamond junction]] north of Belmont Station into a [[flying junction|flyover]] allowing Brown Line trains going north to circumnavigate crossings with Red and Purple Line trains. The project decreased train backups and increased the number of trains that can cross the junction per hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/rpmproject/2015-04-23_15sw036_RPM_One_Sheet.pdf|title=Red and Purple Modernization: Rebuilding Vital Infrastructure For Chicago's Future|publisher=CTA|date=April 23, 2015|access-date=January 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124163242/http://www.transitchicago.com/assets/1/rpmproject/2015-04-23_15sw036_RPM_One_Sheet.pdf|archive-date=2018-01-24|url-status=dead}}</ref> The project was criticized by 2015 mayoral candidate [[Chuy García]] and local residents in the [[Lakeview, Chicago|Lakeview]] neighborhood who organized a referendum to stop it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/redeye-chicago-mayoral-candidates-on-transit-20150302-story.html|title=Chicago mayoral candidates sound off on transit priorities|last=Swartz|first=Tracy|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 2, 2015|access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/redeye-chicagoans-vote-on-cta-belmont-flyover-referendum-20141104-story.html|title=Lakeview residents vote: CTA hasn't 'sufficiently justified' Belmont flyover|last=Swartz|first=Tracy|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=November 6, 2014|access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref> 

The [[Federal Transit Administration]] passed the CTA's environmental review on the bypass in January 2016 and received a $1.1&nbsp;billion federal grant the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/belmont-flyover-controversy-cta-modernization/Content?oid=21007763|title=The controversial Belmont flyover has federal approval—but still faces other hurdles|last=Greenfield|first=John|newspaper=Chicago Reader|date=January 26, 2016|access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-politics/obama-sends-cta-1-1-billion-for-red-line-improvements/|title=Obama sends CTA $1.1 billion for Red Line improvements|last=Dudek|first=Mitch|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|date=January 9, 2017|access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref> Sixteen properties affected by the bypass were demolished, while the historic [[Vautravers Building]] was relocated 30 feet west to preserve it.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yan |first1=Jade |title=CTA begins moving historic Lakeview house 30 feet west as part of Brown Line flyover project |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-cta-brown-line-historic-building-vautravers-20210802-zgxs7im3ovc3jprqkhlxkiulp4-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |access-date=4 August 2021}}</ref>  Construction on the bypass began on October 2, 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/21091009/chicago-transit-authority-cta-chicago-transit-authority-announces-construction-of-red-and-purple-modernization-project-begins-this-fall|title = StackPath}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/10/02/cta-red-purple-line-modernization-brown-line-bypass-flyover/|title = Work Begins on CTA's $2 Billion Red & Purple Modernization Project|date = 2 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abc7chicago.com/traffic/officials-break-ground-on-cta-red-purple-modernization-projects/5584601/|title = Officials break ground on CTA Red, Purple Modernization Project|date = 2 October 2019}}</ref> and the bypass was opened to its first train at 4&nbsp;a.m. on November 19, 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Runge |first1=Erik |title=CTA Brown Line flyover at Belmont begins service |url=https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/cta-brown-line-flyover-at-belmont-begins-service/ |website=WGN-TV |access-date=19 November 2021 |date=19 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sarah |first1=Freishtat |title=CTA's new Brown Line flyover near Belmont to open to the public |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/cta-brown-line-flyover-near-230800842.html |website=sports.yahoo.com |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>