Service Notes:

Hours of Operation: 4:30am-1am, Mon-Sat; 7am-1am, Sun
Length of Route: 2.0 miles
Number of Stations: 8 stations
Routes Served: Orange Line, Green Line, Purple Line Express, Brown Line, Pink Line

 

Brief Description:

The need for a common downtown terminal for the various elevated lines, each of which operated for years to independent terminals on the fringe of downtown, was realized before the first company even began service. The task would not be simple however. The companies had two choices and both had serious downfalls. The first option was to build the extensions and terminal on private property, but land values downtown were high, making this prohibitively expensive. The second option was to build over public streets, but this would require the consent of the majority of property owners as per the Cities & Villages Act and most regarded the prospect of an elevated line over their commercial property less than inviting.

A depressed economy and opposition from property owners squelched all previous plans for such a common terminal. It took a special man of singular talent and reputation to tackle the seemingly impossible task of united the elevateds in the single downtown terminal: businessman, financier, and traction magnate Charles Tyson Yerkes. At one point, Yerkes owned more than half of the private "L" companies (as well as 2/3 of the street railway system) and was responsible for much of the development of the system that can still be seen today. This colorful character was a shrewd businessman who was hailed by his allies and reviled by his critics. There was a long-standing bitter distrust and dislike between Yerkes and the City of Chicago, both in its citizens and its elected officials, especially Mayor Carter Harrison. Yerkes also exercised great power, both politically and financially, and had the ability to get things done, even if his improvements ended up being turned around to cast him as a typical robber baron (which, to a great extent, he was). Once he obtained the necessary consent signatures and franchises, Yerkes lost little time in beginning construction on each leg of the Loop.

The Loop opened in stages, as it was completed. The first section opened on the Lake Street between Market Street and Wabash Avenue on September 22, 1895. The Wabash leg south to Adams/Wabash station was placed in service November 8, 1896, with the Loop now forming an 'L' shape (no pun intended). Trains operated bi-directionally using right-hand running during this period. The formal opening of the entire Loop occurred October 3, 1897, when the bi-directional, left-handed Loop operating plan described above went into effect. The Lake Street was the first to use the entire quadrangle. The Met followed suit on October 11th. The South Side joined them on October 18th (the only company to use steam on the Loop, albeit briefly) and the Northwestern came as soon as they began regular revenue service on May 31, 1900.

As can be imagined, the Loop offered the citizens of Chicago advantages they'd never even remotely had access to before. Workers, shoppers and cross-town travelers could now be deposited directly into the central business district or change to another line's train without walking anywhere. The public was quick to take advantage of the new facilities, as all companies had significant ridership gains after the Loop's completion. The Metropolitan's, for instance, went from 40,000 to 60,000; an increase of 50%.

Because each of the elevated companies was separate and had no operating or transfer agreements, there was no free interchange of passengers between lines, even though they shared the same track and stations in the Loop. As such, each station was run as if it were four separate facilities under one roof. On the platforms, there was literally a barrier separating it into two distinct spaces and inside the station houses, there were two ticket agents and separate doors onto each half of the platform. On the Inner Loop, Metropolitan trains stopped at the forward berth, while South Side trains used the rear berth. On the Outer loop, Lake Street trains used the rear berth and the forward half was reserved for Northwestern trains upon the inauguration of their services.

Important Dates:

• September 22, 1895 - The first section of the Loop opens on Lake Street between Market Street and Wabash Avenue.
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• November 8, 1896 - Wabash leg south to Adams/Wabash station was placed in service, with the Loop now forming an 'L' shape (no pun intended). Trains operated bi-directionally using right-hand running during this period.
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• October 3, 1897 - The formal opening of the entire Loop, with bi-directional, left-handed Loop operating. The Lake Street was the first to use the entire quadrangle. The Met followed suit on October 11th. The South Side joined them on October 18th (the only company to use steam on the Loop, albeit briefly)
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• May 31, 1900 - Northwestern begins operating on the Loop concurrently with the inauguration of regular revenue service on the new line.
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• November 3, 1913 - Crosstown "L" service is first initiated, with trains running from Linden Avenue in Wilmette to the Stony Island Avenue terminal in Chicago's Jackson Park. The South Side and Northwestern trains operate on the outer track in a counterclockwise direction (actually only running over two sides of the Loop on each crosstown trip). Crosstown pairings include Evanston-Jackson Park, Wilson-Englewood, and Wilson-South Park runs (the last being believed to be very short-lived).
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• August 27, 1927 - The new three-story Well Street Terminal opens. The terra cotta Arthur Gerber-designed station was the system's showpiece. Soon after, a bridge is constructed connecting the station the the Outer Loop platform of the adjacent Quincy/Wells Loop "L" station.
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• October 11, 1955 - Wells Terminal closes and is demolished. Garfield Park line trackage is extended through the old Wells Street terminal to connect with Loop elevated just south of Quincy, replacing the old Loop connection via Van Buren at Tower 8 (Wells/Van Buren).
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• September 30, 1969 - The Loop Shuttle line, a set of trains that make a continuous circuit around the Loop on the inner track, begins operation.
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• September 2, 1973 - State/Van Buren is closed in a service revision to close a budget gap.
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• September 30, 1977 - The Loop shuttle is discontinued.
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• February 8, 1988 - The Quincy/Wells station reopens after a three years renovation, restoring it to its original 1897 look with rehabilitated wood work and pressed tin interior and exterior platform and the installation of reproduction signage, lighting and advertisements.
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• February 24, 1989 - The first phase of the new tri-level Clark/Lake station opens. The station connects the "L" (where the Lake-Dan Ryan, Ravenswood and Evanston trains run), the Dearborn Street subway (the O'Hare-Congress-Douglas) and a street-level entrance in the new State of Illinois Center.
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• October 31, 1993 - The Orange (Midway) Line, the first new "L" line in a decade, opens between the Loop and Midway Airport, utilizing existing railroad rights of way and new elevated structures. The Midway begins operation from day one with one person operation with 3200-series cars.
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• January 30, 1994 - The Madison/Wells station is closed and demolished so that work on the Washington/Wells station could begin. On Friday, February 4th, the Outer Loop (west) station house is damaged by fire.
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• July 17, 1995 - The new Washington/Wells station opens on the Loop, replacing both the Randolph/Wells and Madison/Wells stations.
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• June 22, 1997 - The new Library-State/Van Buren station opens, replacing a station demolished two decades before, with a direct connection to the Harold Washington Library.
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• October 12, 1997 - The Loop celebrates its 100th anniversary.
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• June 25, 2006 - The Pink Line, a rerouting of service from 54/Cermak to the Loop via the Cermak (Douglas) branch, Paulina Connector, and Lake branch, is inaugurated, operating via the Inner Loop. The Pink Line is the first new "L" route since the Orange Line opened in 1993.
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• August 31, 2017 - The new Washington/Wabash station opens on the Loop, replacing both the Randolph/Wabash and Madison/Wabash stations.
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• September 3, 2017 - Randolph/Wabash closes, replaced by the new Washington/Wabash station that opened three days earlier.

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