Midway branch
| Company type | Rapid transit line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | October 31, 1993 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Chicago, Illinois |
| Products | Rapid transit service |
| Owner | Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) |
| Website | www |
The Orange Line constitutes a rapid transit corridor within Chicago, Illinois, managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as a component of the Chicago "L" network. Covering roughly , it connects the Southwest Side, running from the Loop area to Midway International Airport. In 2023, the average weekday ridership was recorded at 16,979 passengers.
Route
Beginning at Midway International Airport, the line emerges from an open cut and ascends to an elevated viaduct near 55th Street before heading northeast along a railroad right-of-way. Near 49th Street and Lawndale Avenue, it shifts eastward following a CSX Transportation corridor, then bends north and northwest on an embankment toward Western Boulevard and Pershing Road.
Once elevated again, it crosses Archer Avenue, CSX tracks, and Western Boulevard, then descends onto the Illinois Central Railroad (Canadian National) right-of-way east of Western Boulevard. Continuing at grade level to Ashland Avenue, it spans over Bubbly Creek before following joint Illinois Central and BNSF tracks on an embankment up to Canal Street.
The line transitions back to an elevated structure as it crosses Canal Street, Cermak Road, and Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad tracks, running along the southern edge of 18th Street. It intersects with the Red Line and Rock Island District tracks near Wentworth Avenue before merging with the South Side Elevated at a flying junction located between 16th and 17th Streets. At this juncture, track construction switches from ballasted to timber deck. From here to Tower 12 at the southeast corner of the Loop, Orange Line trains share trackage with the Green Line.
Trains circulate clockwise around the inner loop via Van Buren Street, Wells Street, Lake Street, and Wabash Avenue prior to returning toward Midway.
The principal route comprises seven stations; an additional eighth station at Roosevelt/Wabash is shared with Green Line services. A pedestrian tunnel connects this station to the adjoining Roosevelt/State subway station on the Red Line.
A planned downtown superstation designed to facilitate express travel between the Loop and both O'Hare and Midway airports was abandoned during excavation due to budget overruns.
Operating hours and headways
On weekdays, service between Midway and the Loop operates from 3:30 a.m. until 1:25 a.m.; Saturdays see operations from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., while Sundays run from 4:30 a.m. to 1:25 a.m. During weekday peak periods, trains run every 6 minutes (10 tph), midday intervals are approximately every 7.5 minutes (8 tph), and nighttime frequency reduces to every 12 minutes (5 tph). On Saturdays, daytime headways range between 7.5 and 12 minutes (5–8 tph), decreasing to every 15–20 minutes late at night (3–4 tph). Sunday daytime service maintains a frequency of every 12 minutes (5 tph), dropping to intervals of 15–20 minutes in the evening (3–4 tph).
Rolling stock
Operations on the Orange Line utilize 2600-series railcars. Between November 2012 and October 2014, select 2400-series cars were deployed alongside 3200-series units until October 2018. Train consists typically consist of eight cars during weekday peak hours and four cars during off-peak periods, except for special events where eight-car formations are used.
Starting in June 2014, CTA began reallocating 2600-series cars from the Blue Line as temporary replacements for retiring 2400-series cars. This reallocation was made possible by newer models of the 2600-series being shifted from the Red Line following the introduction of Bombardier-built 5000-series cars there. By October 2014, all remaining 2400-series vehicles had been phased out.
Although initial plans called for replacing Orange Line's 2600-series fleet with 5000-series cars after full modernization of the Red Line fleet, this transition is now improbable since all existing 5000-series units have been assigned elsewhere. Consequently, use of the 2600-series on the Orange Line will continue until delivery of the upcoming 7000-series trains.
From September 2018 onward, CTA transferred Orange Line's remaining 3200-series cars to the Blue Line; by October 2018, these vehicles were no longer in service on the Orange Line.
History
The Orange Line commenced operations on October 31, 1993, marking Chicago’s first new rapid transit route since the Red Line's Dan Ryan branch debuted in 1969 and the first extension of the system since the Blue Line reached O'Hare Airport in 1984. Although initial concepts for a subway link to Midway Airport (formerly Municipal Airport) emerged in the late 1930s, substantial progress did not occur until many years later.
In 1979, the City initiated the Southwest Transit Project aimed at expanding CTA service to Chicago’s Southwest Side by utilizing existing railroad corridors along the Archer-49th-Cicero route toward Ford City Mall. Funding was derived from Interstate Highway Transfer allocations following the cancellation of expensive undertakings such as the Crosstown Expressway and Franklin Street subway. Federal financing was secured with assistance from U.S. Representative William Lipinski and endorsement from President Ronald Reagan.
Construction on this $500 million transit extension began in 1987 and was completed by fall 1993. When it opened, the CTA introduced a color-coded naming system, assigning this line the Orange Line designation.
Former proposed extension
Several CTA rail cars still display rollsigns reading "Ford City," a nod to earlier plans to extend the Orange Line approximately two miles beyond Midway Airport to Ford City Mall. However, due to budget limitations, service currently ends at Midway station.
In 2008, CTA estimated that extending the Orange Line to Ford City would require an investment of roughly $200 million and held community forums to assess public interest. Four potential corridors were analyzed: Cicero Avenue, Pulaski Road, and two combinations involving the Belt Railway with either Cicero or Kostner Avenues. The evaluation eventually concentrated on two options: Bus Rapid Transit along Cicero Avenue and Heavy Rail Transit following Belt/Cicero or Belt/Kostner routes.
By April 2009, the corridor combining Cicero Avenue and Belt Railway was identified as the most feasible alternative and advanced into detailed study phases. In December 2009, CTA selected the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) as the Belt/Cicero alignment. This plan envisioned a trench along the Belt Railway right-of-way extending from Midway station southward to 6400 South, then rising onto an elevated structure crossing Marquette Road and continuing along Cicero Avenue’s median to a new terminal near Ford City Mall.
Although preparations for an Environmental Impact Statement draft and preliminary engineering were planned, the extension project was eventually discontinued.
Station listing
|- After stopping at Adams/Wabash station, Orange Line trains return to Roosevelt station before making all subsequent stops en route back to Midway.