Brown Line (CTA)

Brown Line
A Brown Line train of 3200 series cars
Overview
StatusOperating
LocaleChicago, Illinois, United States
Termini
Stations27
Service
TypeRapid transit
SystemChicago "L"
Operator(s)Chicago Transit Authority
Depot(s)Kimball Yard
Rolling stockMixed 2600-series and 3200-series
8 car trains (typical, maximum)
Daily ridership33,302 (avg. weekday in 2023)[1]
History
OpenedAugust 1, 1949 (Current operation)
Technical
Number of tracks2
CharacterElevated and At-Grade Level
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Minimum radius90 feet (27 m)
ElectrificationThird rail600 V DC
Operating speed40 mph (64 km/h)
Route map
Map Brown Line highlighted in brown
Park and ride Kimball
Kedzie
Francisco
Rockwell
Western
Damen
Metra Ravenswood
Montrose
Irving Park
Addison
Paulina
Southport
Belmont
Wellington
Diversey
Fullerton
Armitage
Sedgwick
Chicago
Grand
demolished 1970
Merchandise Mart
Clark/Lake
State/Lake
Randolph/Wells
closed 1995
Randolph/Wabash
demolished 2017
Washington/​Wells
Madison/Wells
demolished 1994
Madison/Wabash
demolished 2015
Quincy
Adams/Wabash
LaSalle/Van Buren
Library
Bus interchange Bus connections at all open stations except
Kedzie, Francisco, Rockwell, Southport, and Wellington.

The Brown Line of the Chicago "L" system, is an 11.4-mile (18.3 km) route with 27 stations between Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood and downtown Chicago. It runs completely above ground and is almost entirely grade-separated. It is the third-busiest 'L' route, with an average of 33,302 passengers boarding each weekday in 2023.[2]

Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Route; specifically, the series of stations from Belmont to Kimball were called the Ravenswood branch. Accordingly, the Kimball-Belmont shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle.

  1. ^ "Annual Ridership Report - Calendar Year 2019" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. 2020-01-16. pp. 8–11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  2. ^ "Annual Ridership Report - Calednar Year 2023" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority. January 23, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.