Lake Street branch (Chicago Transit Authority)

Lake Street Elevated
Company type	Transit line
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	November 6, 1893; 133 years ago
Headquarters	Chicago, United States
Area served	Chicago, Oak Park, Forest Park
Products	Rapid transit service

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Lake Street branch (Chicago Transit Authority), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

The Lake Street Elevated, also known as the Lake branch, constitutes a segment of the Chicago "L" system situated to the west of the Chicago Loop. It encompasses the full stretch of the Green Line and covers the eastern section of the Pink Line eastward from Ashland Avenue. As recorded in 2019, this line accommodates an average of roughly 27,700 weekday riders. The route serves prominent Chicago neighborhoods such as Near West Side, East and West Garfield Park, and Austin, in addition to the suburban areas of Oak Park and Forest Park. Its alignment closely follows Lake Street for approximately , then continues westward alongside South Boulevard until reaching its final stop at Harlem/Lake.

History

Passenger operations on the Lake Street Elevated commenced on November 6, 1893, initially running between Madison Street and Market Street to California Avenue. By April 29, 1894, service had expanded to 52nd Avenue (currently Laramie Avenue), marking the boundary of Chicago at that time. Upon the opening of the completed Loop on October 3, 1897, the Lake Street Elevated became the inaugural line to traverse the entire loop structure. In 1898, an agreement with Cicero Township enabled extension beyond Chicago’s borders along South Boulevard and established the Randolph Street Branch and Cuyler Avenue Shuttle, utilizing trackage rights from the Chicago, Harlem & Batavia Railway. Service reached Wisconsin Avenue (later renamed Marion) on January 25, 1901, supplanting C&GW operations. By May 20, 1910, the terminal extended close to Harlem Avenue in Forest Park.

In April 1948, the Lake Street Elevated pioneered Skip-Stop A/B service among 'L' lines. This change resulted in shutting down ten stations along with the Market Street Stub; all trains were rerouted through the Loop. The implementation significantly shortened travel durations by 24–35 minutes, benefiting both CTA operations and passengers.

Around 1962, nearly of at-grade tracks within Chicago's Austin neighborhood and Oak Park, Illinois were replaced by elevated tracks constructed on the Chicago & North Western Railroad embankment. New stations were inaugurated at Central, Austin, Ridgeland, and Oak Park. Additionally, a new terminal at Harlem supplanted the former Marion and Forest Park terminals.

Market Street stub

Prior to the Loop’s completion in 1897, the eastern endpoint of the Lake Street Elevated was located at the Market Street Terminal at Madison and Market Streets. Following this, service extended to a Market Street stub featuring stops at Randolph & Market and Madison & Market. Operations on this stub ceased on April 4, 1948, coinciding with Skip-Stop A/B adoption; it was subsequently demolished to facilitate construction of Wacker Drive.

New infill stations

Work on constructing a new station at Morgan began in Summer 2010. The design was led by TranSystems in collaboration with Ross Barney Architects. Consistent with most active Green and Pink Line stops, Morgan is fully ADA-compliant with elevators serving both platforms and includes bicycle storage facilities.

Costing $50 million, Morgan station officially opened on May 18, 2012, followed by formal dedication ceremonies held on May 24.

The $60 million Damen station was developed to close a 1.5mi gap between the California and Ashland stations. Its design was unveiled in July 2018; construction started in August 2022, culminating in its opening on August 5, 2024.

Service history

Prior to 1969, the Lake Branch functioned as an independent route, providing service in one direction from the Loop to the West Side, Oak Park, and Forest Park. On September 28, 1969, it was combined with the newly established Dan Ryan branch to form the Lake–Dan Ryan Line (West-South Route), which operated through the Loop, South Side Elevated, and the 18th Street connection. This configuration remained in place for 24 years. With the inauguration of the Orange Line on February 21, 1993, CTA implemented a color-coded system for its lines, resulting in the current Green Line alignment by replacing the Dan Ryan branch with the South Side Elevated. This change linked the North Side Main Line via the State Street subway.

The entire Green Line, including the Lake Street Elevated segment, was shut down on January 9, 1994, for a comprehensive two-year renovation. When service resumed on May 12, 1996, most stations had been reconstructed and upgraded to meet ADA standards with elevator installations; however, six stations were permanently closed.

Overnight operations on the Green, Purple, and Brown lines were terminated on April 26, 1998.

In 2006, CTA introduced the Pink Line, which rerouted trains from the Cermak branch to the Loop using the Paulina Connector and the section of Lake Street Elevated east of Paulina Street. Although this track had limited prior usage, it now serves as a vital connection between the West-Northwest route (currently Blue Line) and other parts of the system.

Station listing

Station	Location	Notes
Template:Cta	Marengo Avenue and Circle Avenue, Forest Park	Closed in 1962; replaced by Harlem
Template:Cta Template:Rint	1 S. Harlem Avenue, Forest Park
Template:Cta	Marion Avenue and South Boulevard, Oak Park	Closed October 28, 1962; replaced by Harlem
Template:Cta	100 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park
Template:Cta	100 N. Ridgeland Avenue, Oak Park
Template:Cta	Lombard Avenue and South Boulevard, Oak Park	Closed in 1948; demolished
Template:Cta	351 N. Austin Boulevard
Template:Cta	Menard Avenue and Lake Street	Closed in 1948; demolished
Template:Cta	350 N. Central Avenue
Template:Cta	5148 W. Lake Street
Template:Cta	4800 W. Lake Street
Template:Cta	Kostner Avenue and Lake Street	Closed in 1948; demolished
Template:Cta	4000 W. Lake Street
Template:Cta	3800 W. Lake St.	Closed March 18, 1956; demolished
Template:Cta	3630 W. Lake Street
Template:Cta	3400 W. Lake Street	Closed January 9, 1994; replaced by Conservatory-Central Park Drive; originally Garfield Park
Template:Cta {{rint\|rail\|size=15\|}
"Sacramento" (closed)
"California" (active)
"Campbell" (closed)
"Oakley" (closed)
"Damen" (active)
"Wood" (closed)
"Lake Street Transfer" (closed)
"Ashland" (active)
"Loomis" (closed)
"Racine" (closed)
"Morgan" (active)
"Halsted" (closed)
"Clinton" (active)

External links

Green Line: Lake Street Elevated available at Chicago-L.org