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Blue Line (CTA)
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== History == {{See also|Logan Square branch|Douglas branch|Garfield Park branch|Metropolitan main line}} {{maplink |frame=yes |zoom=10 |frame-align=left |frame-coordinates={{coord|41.91|-87.76}} |frame-width=250 |frame-height=200 |type1=line |from1=Blue Line (CTA).map |type2=line |from2=Metropolitan combined blue.map |type3=line |from3=The Loop (CTA).map |text=The Metropolitan's trackage (dark blue) connected with [[the Loop (CTA)|the Loop]] (black), compared with the modern-day Blue Line (light blue) }} The Blue Line is the successor to the [[Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad]], which built a series of 'L' lines servicing the West Side of Chicago beginning in 1895. The first section to be built by the Metropolitan extended west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street from an independent terminal at Canal and Jackson Streets to Marshfield Avenue, and then northward in the vicinity of Paulina Street to Damen and Milwaukee Avenues. Service on this section began on May 6, 1895.<ref>{{cite news|title=New "L" Road Opens|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=May 7, 1895|page=12}}</ref> The structure was completed from Damen Avenue to Logan Square on May 25, 1895.<ref>{{cite web |title=Logan Square |url=http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/logan_sq.html |website=chicago-l.org |access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> The next stage in the development of the West Side 'L' came on June 19, 1895, when the [[Garfield Park branch (CTA)|Garfield Park Branch]] was added, extending west in the vicinity of Van Buren Street and Harrison Street from Marshfield Avenue to Cicero Avenue.<ref>{{cite news|title=First Train on Garfield Park Division|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=June 18, 1895|page=2}}</ref> <!--June 17 was the first day of TESTING. "Wednesday" (June 19) was the day the line entered service.--> An extension of service over the tracks of the [[Aurora, Elgin and Chicago Railroad]] to [[Forest Park station|a new terminal at Desplaines Avenue]] was established on March 11, 1905. A subsequent extension to [[Westchester, Illinois|Westchester]] opened on October 1, 1926, over tracks that had originally been built by the CA&E with the intentions of building a bypass route.<ref name="Westchester">{{cite web |url=http://chicago-l.org/operations/lines/westchester.html |title=Westchester branch |access-date=2009-02-21 |publisher=Chicago-L.org}}</ref> (Low ridership would prompt the CTA to discontinue service on the [[Westchester branch (CTA)|Westchester extension]] on December 9, 1951.<ref name="Westchester" />) Another branch line was added to the rapidly growing Metropolitan on July 29, 1895, when trains began operating over the [[Humboldt Park Branch]], splitting off from the Logan Square Branch at {{cta|Damen|Blue}} and running west alongside North Avenue to a terminal at Lawndale Avenue.<ref name="Humboldt">{{cite web |url=http://chicago-l.org/operations/lines/humboldt.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030228223318/http://chicago-l.org/operations/lines/humboldt.html |url-status=live |archive-date=2003-02-28 |title=Humboldt Park branch |access-date=2009-02-21 |publisher=Chicago-L.org }}</ref> This was followed by still another addition when the Douglas Park Branch was placed in operation as far south as 18th Street on April 28, 1896.<ref name="Douglas">{{cite web |url=http://chicago-l.org/operations/lines/douglas.html |title=Douglas branch |access-date=2009-02-21 |publisher=Chicago-L.org}}</ref> As the southwest area of the city developed, the Douglas Park Branch was extended from 18th Street to Western Avenue in September 1896; to Pulaski Road in June 1902; to Cicero Avenue in December 1907; to Central Avenue in August 1912; to 62nd Avenue in August 1915, and to Oak Park Avenue in [[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn]] on March 16, 1924. The Douglas Park branch was later cut back to 54th Avenue in [[Cicero, Illinois|Cicero]]. The Metropolitan West Side Elevated began service onto the Loop on October 11, 1897,<ref>{{cite news|title=Polly "L" on the Loop|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=October 11, 1897|page=11}}</ref> and a rush period [[Wells Street Terminal|stub terminal at Wells Street]] was added October 3, 1904. For much of the early 20th century and through the 1940s, service on the West Side Elevated lines went unchanged until 1947, when the [[Chicago Transit Authority]] took control of the 'L', initiating a series of massive service cuts and station closings (that would last until the 1980s).{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}} The Metropolitan lines began to be reshaped into the current Blue Line on February 25, 1951, when the CTA opened the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway, connecting the Logan Square Branch with the Loop on a fast, efficient and more direct routing to downtown, rather than the previous circuitous route that saw these trains entering the Loop at the southwest corner.<ref>{{cite news|last=Buck|first=Thomas|title=New Subway to Northwest Side Opened|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=February 25, 1951|page=1}}</ref> With opening of the Dearborn Subway, the old elevated alignment between Evergreen Portal and Marshfield Junction was decommissioned, used only for moving out-of-service rail cars. The northern section of the connection between Evergreen Avenue and Lake Street was demolished in the 1960s, leaving the Lake Street to Douglas Branch section—better known as the Paulina Connector—the only section still in operation. The Humboldt Park Branch was cut back to a full-time shuttle between Damen and Lawndale, and discontinued a year later on May 3, 1952. The Garfield Park elevated was replaced by the Congress line on June 22, 1958,<ref>{{cite news|title=12,000 Ride CTA Congress Line on First Day|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=June 23, 1958|page=4}}</ref> pioneering the world's first use of rail rapid transit and a multi-lane automobile expressway in the same grade-separated right-of-way.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hail New Era of Transit in Congress Way|last=Thompson|first=John H.|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=June 21, 1958|page=7}}</ref> ([[Pacific Electric|Pacific Electric Railway]] "Red Car" tracks ran in the median of the Cahuenga Parkway in [[Los Angeles]] from 1944 until its expansion into the [[Hollywood Freeway]] in 1952, but the Pacific Electric service was an [[interurban streetcar]] rather than true rapid transit.) The new line connected with the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway at the [[Chicago River]] and extended westward to Des Plaines Avenue in Forest Park. Loomis Ramp, built at this same time, permitted Douglas trains to be rerouted through the subway as well combining the Logan Square, Garfield Park (now Congress) and Douglas routes into the second through service in Chicago, the Congress/Douglas-Milwaukee Line.<ref>{{cite news|last=Freeburg|first=Russel|title=It's Free! So 20,000 Ride on New CTA Line|newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune|date=June 22, 1958|page=3}}</ref> A five-mile (8 km) extension of the route via a short subway connection and the [[Kennedy Expressway]] median from [[Logan Square, Chicago|Logan Square]] to [[Jefferson Park, Chicago|Jefferson]] [[Jefferson Park Transit Center|Park]] opened on February 1, 1970. It was also built by the City of Chicago using federal money. Just before Logan Square, trains diverted off of the old elevated structure and entered the subway under Milwaukee and Kedzie Avenues to a portal just south of Addison Street, then emerged in the median of the Kennedy Expressway to the temporary terminal at Jefferson Park. The increased ridership that resulted from the extension prompted the CTA to build the second phase of the project, and extend the line the rest of the way to O'Hare. In March 1980, construction began on the O'Hare Airport extension, with the first section between Jefferson Park and River Road opening on February 27, 1983,<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=CTA Celebrates 20 Years of Service to O Hare Airport |url=https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-celebrates-20-years-of-service-to-o-hare-airport/ |location=[[Chicago]] |publisher=[[Chicago Transit Authority]] |date=2004-09-03 |access-date=2023-12-04}}</ref> and the final section to O'Hare on September 3, 1984.<ref>{{cite news|last=Papajohn|first=George|title=O'Hare's 'L' Service Gets Inaugural Cheer|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=September 4, 1984|page=A1}}</ref> [[File:Cta3200 1987 luggage rack 386-87 -10 CTA.jpg|alt=luggage|thumb|A Blue Line train with luggage racks in the 1980s]] On February 21, 1993, the CTA adopted a color-coded naming system to the rapid transit system, and the West-Northwest route (O'Hare-Congress/Douglas) became the Blue Line. On October 15, 2015, the CTA announced the completed installation of [[4G]] wireless service on the Blue Line in between the [[Logan Square (CTA station)|Logan Square]] and [[Belmont (CTA Blue Line station)|Belmont]] stations. In the future this will mean that the CTA will be the largest rapid transit system with 4G coverage in subway tunnels and stations, this is targeted for the end of 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mayor Emanuel Announces First Chicago Transit Authority Subway Section Now Offers Chicagoans 4G Wireless Service |url=http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=3470 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019145555/http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=3470 |archive-date=2015-10-19 |access-date=2015-10-18 |website=Transit Chicago |url-status=live }}</ref> === Douglas branch === {{Main|Douglas branch|Pink Line (CTA)}} The [[Douglas branch]] was once operated as part of the Blue Line. On April 28, 2008, the CTA eliminated Blue Line service on the Douglas branch, having been replaced by the [[Pink Line (CTA)|Pink Line]].<ref name="hilkevitch">{{cite news |title=Trial closing of Blue Line's Douglas branch starts |author=Jon Hilkevitch |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=April 28, 2008 }}</ref> The Loomis ramp that connects the Congress branch to the Douglas branch remains intact for non-revenue equipment moves as the only track connection between the Blue Line and the rest of the system. On April 26, 1998, the Douglas Branch lost its overnight (owl) and weekend service and began operating between 4 a.m. and 1 a.m. on weekdays only as a result of budget cuts that also eliminated owl service on several other lines. Congress (Forest Park) service was effectively doubled through much of the day since service frequency from O'Hare required shorter headways than what would have been left. While the CTA claimed Douglas branch reductions were due to low ridership, community activists also pointed to badly deteriorated infrastructure and funding shortfalls, as well as a perception that the CTA was uninterested in serving the West Side. On September 10, 2001, the CTA began a historic reconstruction of the Douglas Branch to repair its aging stations and tracks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transitchicago.com/renew-the-blue-cta-breaks-ground-on-the-blue-line-renovation/?Month=9&Year=2001|title = Renew the Blue: Cta Breaks Ground on the Blue Line Renovation}}</ref> The work was officially completed on January 8, 2005, with new elevated structures, tracks, rebuilt stations, new communication networks and an upgraded power system along the route.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.transitchicago.com/mayor-daley--cta-celebrate-completion-of-54th-cermak-branch-of-blue-line/?CategoryId=2&Year=2005&Month=18pg=2|title = Mayor Daley / Cta Celebrate Completion of 54Th /Cermak Branch of Blue Line}}</ref> On January 1, 2005, weekend service was restored. [[File:54 Cermak CTA.JPG|thumb|Douglas branch stations like the [[54th/Cermak station]] were once served by the Blue Line.]] In January 2005, the CTA held hearings on a proposal to reroute Douglas Branch service via the recently rebuilt Paulina Connector to the Lake Street [[Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Green Line]], carrying Douglas trains to and around the elevated Loop for the first time since 1958. It was the first stage of what became the [[Pink Line (CTA)|Pink Line]]. This would have allowed a doubling of Blue Line trains to Forest Park on the Congress Branch, since service would no longer be divided between the Forest Park and 54th/Cermak terminals. Due to community fears that the Pink Line would not be enough, however, the CTA decided to retain limited Douglas Branch Blue Line service during weekday rush hours. On February 15, 2006, the CTA approved the separate operation of the Douglas Branch plan.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.transitchicago.com/cta-board-approves-west-side-corridor-service-recommendations/?Month=2&Year=2006|title=CTA Board Approves West Side Corridor Service Recommendations|location=[[Chicago]]|publisher=[[Chicago Transit Authority]]}}</ref> All non-rush hour trains would all be routed via the Loop, [[Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Green Line]] and Paulina Connector. During rush hour, service was available on the new route as well as the existing route via the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway. These changes were scheduled to be implemented for a 180-day trial period beginning June 25, 2006, and after their evaluation in early 2007, the Pink Line remained in service. Beginning April 28, 2008, the CTA began a six-month experimental ceasing of Blue Line operations on the Douglas.<ref name="hilkevitch" /> Despite maintaining that the service cut was an experiment, the CTA immediately covered Blue Line stations' directional signage for trains to {{cta|54th/Cermak}} with paint rather than temporary covering, suggesting it was a permanent discontinuation instead of a temporary one. All Douglas Branch operations are now served by the Pink Line.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/transportation/838770,cta031208.article | title=Blue line's Douglas branch to get cut :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Transportation }} {{dead link|date=August 2010|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> On December 4, 2008, CTA announced its decision to permanently discontinue Blue Line service on the Douglas branch and to make the Pink Line permanent.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/chicago-transit-board-approves-permanent-addition-of-west-sidewest-suburban-service-enhancements/?CategoryId=2&Year=2008&Month=12&pg=3|title = Chicago Transit Board Approves Permanent Addition of West Side/West Suburban Service Enhancements}}</ref>
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