Metropolitan main line

Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company

Company type	Private company
Industry	Rapid transit
Founded	1892
Defunct	1947
Fate	Merged into Chicago Rapid Transit Company; later municipal takeover by Chicago Transit Authority
Headquarters	Chicago , United States
Area served	Chicago metropolitan area
Products	Rapid transit service (Chicago "L")

The Metropolitan main line served as a significant rapid transit corridor within the Chicago "L" network from 1895 until 1958, extending westward from downtown Chicago to a junction located at Marshfield station. From this junction, three branches spread out: the Garfield Park branch continued west, the Douglas Park branch proceeded south, and the Logan Square branch headed north, with the Humboldt Park branch diverging from the Logan Square branch. Additionally, the line accommodated the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, an interurban service connecting Chicago’s western suburbs between 1905 and 1953.

Initially operated by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, one of four companies that collectively formed the Chicago "L," it was later incorporated into the consolidated Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) as its Metropolitan Division. This arrangement persisted until the municipal takeover by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1947.

From 1904 through 1951, seven stations were situated along the main line—Wells Street Terminal, Franklin/Van Buren, Canal, Halsted, Racine, Laflin, and Marshfield—in addition to those on the Loop served by Metropolitan trains. Following the rerouting of the Logan Square branch via the newly constructed Dearborn Street Subway in 1951, the main line was combined with the Garfield Park branch to form what became known as the Garfield Park Line.

Constructed between the late 1930s and 1951, the Dearborn Subway replaced Logan Square’s downtown connection that had previously relied on the main line. The opening of the Congress branch in 1958 within the Eisenhower Expressway median supplanted and led to the demolition of the Garfield Line. These changes ultimately paved the way for today’s Blue Line.

History

The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company was granted a 50-year franchise by the Chicago City Council on April 7, 1892, after which it promptly began acquiring rights of way. Its route featured a main line extending westward from downtown Chicago to Marshfield, where three branches split off: northwest toward Logan Square, westward to Garfield Park, and southwest bound for Douglas Park. A further extension to Humboldt Park branched off just beyond Robey Street on the Logan Square line.

In contrast to competitors such as South Side Elevated and Lake Street Elevated, the Metropolitan never employed steam locomotives. Originally planned for steam operation, it converted in May 1894 to electric traction, becoming both America’s first revenue electric elevated railroad and the first rapid transit system to utilize electric motors in regular service. To supply power, a facility was constructed at Loomis Street along the main line; this power house operated until 1914 when electricity began being purchased from Commonwealth Edison. The Loomis plant remained in place until it was removed to make way for construction of the Congress Street expressway.

The main line commenced operations on May 6, 1895, with trains running from downtown to Marshfield. One week later, service extended eastward across the Chicago River with opening of the Franklin Street Terminal. This terminal was unique among Chicago "L" lines because it owned its own drawbridge rather than relying on existing street bridges. The terminal ceased operations in 1897 when trains were rerouted to serve the Loop via Van Buren Street. Due to congestion within the Loop, some downtown trains reversed direction at Canal starting in 1900; this was facilitated by a dedicated platform extension and a track stub. In 1902, authorization was granted for construction of a Fifth Avenue terminal, which opened in 1904 to accommodate overflow traffic from the Loop.

In 1905, an amendment allowed surface railroads to operate over its tracks. That March, Aurora Elgin & Chicago Railway (AE&C) began utilizing both the Garfield Park branch and main line to reach Fifth Avenue terminal; AE&C had shared use of Garfield Park’s Laramie station with Metropolitan since 1902. The Fifth Avenue terminal was renamed Wells Street in 1912, along with its associated station. The AE&C reorganized as Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad (CA&E) in 1923.

The Metropolitan was one of four companies operating Chicago’s elevated transit system alongside South Side Elevated, Lake Street Elevated, and Northwestern Elevated Railroad. These entities came under unified management in 1913 and formally merged into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT) in 1924; operations formerly run by Metropolitan became known as its Metropolitan Division.

Following chartering by Illinois General Assembly in 1945, public ownership replaced CRT with establishment of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1947. At that time, construction was underway on the Congress Street branch—designed to integrate rapid transit within a median of Congress Street superhighway and replace both main line and Garfield Park branch—leading CTA into negotiations concerning its completion.

Operation

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the main line experienced heavy traffic; in 1948, it was common to observe multiple trains occupying each track simultaneously during rush hour periods. Stretching roughly between Market Junction and Marshfield Junction, the route included many curves, with the lengthiest straight segment measuring less than . Trains frequently reduced speed on curves with limits of or lower, and signals were placed at "blind curves" where sightlines were restricted. The tracks were numbered from north to south as 1 through 4: tracks 1 and 3 accommodated express outbound and inbound trains during peak times, while tracks 2 and 4 were designated for local outbound and inbound services, respectively.

Rolling stock

From 1894 to 1907, a total of 569 wooden cars were manufactured for Metropolitan use by companies such as Pullman, Harlan & Hollingsworth, American Car & Foundry, Barney & Smith, and Jewett. At the start of the 20th century, Metropolitan began operating funeral trains in partnership with the CA&E to serve Oak Ridge and Mount Carmel cemeteries. One funeral car was specifically constructed for this purpose, while another was converted following initial success; this latter car was later repurposed as a medical examination unit. By October 1907, funeral train service ran about 22 times per week and was supported by facilities including a dedicated elevator at Laflin for loading caskets. Although this service ceased in the 1930s, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) still holds charter rights to run funeral trains.

In 1950, 6000-series cars were introduced on the Logan Square branch, which after 1951 operated through the Dearborn Street Subway. The Douglas branch received these cars in 1952; by 1955, both Douglas and Garfield branches utilized 4000-series cars. Wooden cars were phased out on the Garfield Line at that time but continued on the Douglas branch until their complete retirement in 1957.

Stations and skip-stop

Initially, stations along the main line featured two island platforms positioned between an outer and an inner track. Between 1898 and 1914, several stations underwent redesigns due to safety concerns related to sharp curves on the outer tracks. These changes varied by location: Racine implemented two pairs of side platforms serving northern and southern tracks, separated by the Throop Street Shop; Halsted had an island platform between inner tracks alongside side platforms for outer tracks; Marshfield assigned its northern platform and tracks to Logan Square branch trains, while Garfield Park and Douglas Park branches used the southern platform.

Metropolitan main line stations

Station	Location	Notes	Opened	Closed	Skip-stop designation
Wells Street Terminal	314 S. Wells Street	Also served by the CA&E	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	All-stop
Franklin Street Terminal	Franklin Street between Jackson Boulevard and Van Buren Street		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	–
Template:Cta	Franklin Street and Van Buren Street		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	All-stop
Template:Cta	Canal Street between Jackson and Van Buren Streets	Also served by the CA&E	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	All-stop
Template:Cta	Halsted Street and Van Buren Street	Replaced by UIC–Halsted on Congress Line	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	A
Template:Cta	416-18 S. Racine Avenue	Replaced by Racine on Congress Line	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	B
Template:Cta	418 S. Laflin Street		REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	–
Template:Cta	418 S. Marshfield Avenue	Also served by the CA&E	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	" REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting "	"All-stop (1951–1953) B (1953–1954)"

Replacement by Congress branch

In the 1909 Plan of Chicago, a proposal was made for a highway extending westward from downtown Chicago along Congress Street, envisioning Congress as the city's "grand axis" and a boulevard stretching from Grant Park to Halsted Street. Although this plan did not incorporate rapid transit and was never implemented, it influenced future urban planners. By the 1920s and 1930s, significant traffic congestion on Chicago’s west side led to the development of superhighway concepts aimed at easing traffic flow and revitalizing deteriorated neighborhoods. The Old Chicago Main Post Office, expanded in 1932, included a space beneath specifically designed to allow for future traffic passage beneath a proposed expressway.

The initial idea to connect a Congress highway with the "L" system emerged in 1939 during discussions over federal funding for the State Street Subway and Dearborn Street Subway. On October 31, 1940, the Chicago City Council approved the route. Early designs intended to link the Congress extension of the Dearborn Subway to the elevated line at Halsted, but later superhighway plans necessitated removing both the main line and Garfield Park branch.

Construction of the Dearborn Street Subway was postponed due to World War II, with progress continuing only on the State Street Subway during the war years. After being designated an official city project in 1945, construction received authorization in 1946. Between 1951 and 1954, negotiations involving the City, CTA, Cook County, and Illinois resolved right-of-way conflicts: the City assumed responsibility for expressway and rapid transit infrastructure between the Chicago River and Laramie Avenue, while CTA provided permanent easements for construction on Metropolitan main line and Garfield Park branch properties and agreed to demolish elevated structures at its own cost.

The Dearborn Street Subway commenced operations on February 25, 1951, rerouting Logan Square branch trains through this new tunnel. Since the Congress Street expressway connection was not yet completed, trains reversed direction at LaSalle. Meanwhile, Douglas Park and Garfield Park branches continued their downtown routes via the main line, which was consolidated as the "Garfield Park Line." Beginning December 9, 1951, rush-hour skip-stop service was introduced; Laflin station closed while other stations remained operational until demolition.

Starting September 20, 1953, Garfield Line trains operated on temporary surface tracks between Sacramento and Aberdeen Avenues due to ongoing construction. This change forced CA&E to halt services east of Desplaines, requiring passengers to transfer to CTA trains; CA&E ceased all operations on July 3, 1957. Service modifications limited Racine and Marshfield stations to Douglas Park trains only, and skip-stop service was discontinued with all trains stopping at every station.

In 1954, Racine and Marshfield stations were closed to Douglas Park trains. The station and Wells Street Terminal were shut down in 1955; after that point, trains accessed the Loop via a newly constructed track south of Quincy. The Garfield Line ceased operation on June 22, 1958, coinciding with the inauguration of the Congress branch. The Congress branch was among the first rapid transit lines built within an expressway median, reducing travel time between Forest Park and downtown by seventeen minutes compared to the former Garfield Line.

On this new Congress branch, Halsted (now ) and Racine stations were constructed as replacements for their Garfield Line predecessors. Additionally, replaced three former Garfield Line stops including Marshfield, while Racine’s entrance is situated on Loomis Street, one block east of Laflin.