Purple Line (CTA)

Purple Line (Chicago "L")

Company type	Rapid transit
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	May 16, 1908
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois , United States
Area served	Chicago metropolitan area
Products	Rail transit service
Owner	Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Website	www.transitchicago.com/purpleline

The Purple Line is the northernmost route within the Chicago "L" network. It operates between Linden in Wilmette and Howard at Chicago's northern boundary, passing through the city of Evanston along its course.

On weekday peak periods, the Purple Line extends its service southward along the North Side Main Line from Howard into downtown Chicago. This express service travels non-stop from Howard to , with a single intermediate stop at , then continues with local stops from Belmont through to the Loop. This variant is commonly referred to as the Purple Line Express or Evanston Express.

In 2024, the Purple Line recorded an average of 4,904 boardings per weekday. Aside from peak hour operations, it remains the shortest route in the CTA rail network.

Prior to the CTA’s adoption of color-coded line names in 1993, this route was known as the Evanston Line, Evanston Service, or Evanston Shuttle. The express variant was similarly called the Evanston Express.

The Purple Line serves several important destinations including Northwestern University, accessible via the and stations. It also provides transit access to notable sports facilities such as Ryan Field, Rocky Miller Park, Welsh-Ryan Arena, and Canal Shores Golf Course at , along with the Bahá'í House of Worship located at . The choice of purple as the line’s color likely corresponds with Northwestern University’s official colors.

Trackage

Beginning at Linden Avenue in Wilmette—where a modest storage yard and maintenance facility are situated—the Purple Line proceeds through the North Shore region on a dedicated right-of-way that starts at grade level. Departing Linden, the line ascends near Isabella Street at the Wilmette-Evanston border, then crosses over the North Shore Channel just north of Central Street, which marks its first stop within Evanston. Elevated on an embankment, it curves southward alongside Sherman Avenue before reaching downtown Evanston at Davis Street station. Continuing parallel to Chicago Avenue and adjacent to Metra’s Union Pacific Railroad corridor, it approaches Clark Street near CTA’s Howard Yard.

The line traverses Howard Yard before intersecting with both the Red Line and Yellow Line. These connections are grade-separated to facilitate Yellow Line trains entering from the west. South of Howard Yard lies the Howard terminal station, serving as an endpoint for Red, Purple, and Yellow Lines.

Between Howard and Armitage stations, four tracks are in operation. During rush hours on weekdays, Purple Line trains utilize the outer tracks to run express service—bypassing stops until Wilson Avenue and then Belmont Avenue. From Belmont to Armitage, both Purple and Brown Lines share these outer tracks and make all local stops. Between Armitage and Chicago Avenue stations, they operate on two tracks housed within a four-track structure. After discontinuation of the North Shore Line in 1963, these outer tracks fell out of use and were officially removed from service in 1976.

Routing

Initially, the Purple Line Express followed a clockwise loop around the Inner Loop via Lake-Wabash-Van Buren-Wells streets, stopping at every station before heading back north to Linden. Beginning April 2, 2007, due to construction at Belmont and Fullerton stations, service was rerouted onto the Outer Loop track alongside Brown Line trains—a path previously reserved for emergencies or signal problems. On December 29, 2008, this express service reverted to its original Inner Loop circuit.

When incidents disrupt travel along the North Side Main Line between Fullerton station and the Loop, Purple Line trains are commonly detoured through the State Street subway alongside Red Line trains to Roosevelt station before returning northbound.

In earlier years, inbound afternoon Purple Line Express trains made a stop at Addison station prior to weekday evening Chicago Cubs games to facilitate passenger access to Wrigley Field from northern Chicago neighborhoods including Evanston and Skokie. However, due to platform modifications in the early 1990s requiring trains to switch onto inner Red Line tracks—since Addison lacks platforms serving outer express tracks—this stop was shifted one station north to Sheridan Road for evening Cubs events. Sheridan features two island platforms that provide direct access to express tracks without necessitating track crossovers, thereby minimizing delays.

Connections

During weekday peak periods, the Purple Line Express stands as one of only two 'L' routes that facilitate transfers to all other lines, alongside the Red Line. It is distinctive in offering transfers without requiring a farecard to every other line, a feature the Red Line lacks specifically for the Pink Line.

The Purple Line stations at and are positioned adjacent to their respective Metra stations. Moreover, the express segment's stops at , , , and are all within walking distance of Metra terminals at Ogilvie Transportation Center, Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, and Millennium Station, respectively.

Rolling stock

As of November 2018, the Purple Line's fleet consists of Bombardier-manufactured 5000-series railcars. Throughout the 2000s and early 2010s until May 2014, the line primarily utilized 2400-series vehicles. In 2007, a limited number of 3200-series cars were temporarily assigned before returning to their original routes. The 2600-series cars served on the Purple Line until early 2013, after which they were reassigned to the Red and Blue Lines. Starting in October 2013, some displaced 2600-series cars returned as newer 5000-series units entered service on the Red Line. By May 2014, all 2400-series units had been phased out from the Purple Line, with complete removal of 2600-series cars by March 2015. Typically, trains run with six-car consists, occasionally supplemented by Red Line cars when necessary.

Operating hours and headways

The Purple Line operates continuously between Linden and Howard with varying schedules: Mondays through Thursdays from 4:25 a.m. until 1:30 a.m., Fridays until 2:10 a.m., Saturdays until 2:15 a.m., and Sundays until 1:45 a.m. During weekday rush hours, trains run as frequently as every five minutes (up to 12 trains per hour), decreasing to six trains per hour midday, then four to five trains per hour in the evening, and down to three trains per hour after midnight. Early morning and late-night service maintains approximately four trains per hour.

The Purple Line Express offers weekday rush hour service between Linden and the Loop: morning southbound trips run from 5:15 to 9:20 a.m., northbound from 5:55 to 10:05 a.m.; evening southbound service operates from 2:25 to 6:25 p.m., with northbound trips from 3:05 to 7:05 p.m. Headways during these periods typically range between five and eight minutes but can occasionally extend up to fifteen minutes.

The Northwestern Elevated era

The Evanston Line commenced service on May 16, 1908, running between Central Street in Evanston and the Loop when the Northwestern Elevated Railroad extended its operations over leased electrified steam railroad tracks owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. On April 2, 1912, the line was extended to its present-day northern terminus at Linden Avenue in Wilmette despite opposition from local residents concerned about potential development effects.

In 1922, the North Side 'L' surface segment was elevated onto a concrete embankment spanning from Leland Avenue to Howard Street and expanded from two tracks to four. This upgrade enabled express services from Wilmette and Evanston directly into downtown Chicago. Some sections of the Evanston Branch remained at street level until they were elevated between Church Street and the North Shore Channel in 1928. Beyond Howard station, there were nine additional stops including Calvary station, which closed in 1931 and was replaced by South Boulevard station.

CTA era

On October 1, 1947, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) assumed control of the Purple Line service. The current operational pattern was established on July 31, 1949: continuous local service ran between Linden and Howard, while express trains operated during weekday peak periods, stopping at select stations such as Wilmette, Evanston stops, Howard, Morse, Loyola, Wilson, Chicago/Franklin, Merchandise Mart, and all Loop stations. An additional express fare was introduced for travel beyond Howard; attempts to reduce this surcharge were unsuccessful.

In 1953, the CTA acquired the right-of-way and tracks stretching from Leland Avenue to Wilmette from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad for $7 million in revenue bonds. During the 1950s, midday and Saturday express services were discontinued; in the 1960s, local shuttle operations shifted to one-man crews using single-car trains.

The Isabella station ceased operations on July 16, 1973. Later that year, third rail electrification replaced the overhead catenary system between South Boulevard and Wilmette. This upgrade facilitated the retirement of older rolling stock and allowed deployment of newer cars despite some community concerns regarding safety.

By late 1976, Evanston Express trains ran non-stop between Howard and Merchandise Mart to minimize delays caused by additional stops. However, starting January 20, 1989, express trains resumed stops at Belmont and Fullerton to ease congestion on the Ravenswood (Brown) branch; by the late 1990s, all trains made stops between Belmont and the Loop.

The express fare surcharge was removed in 1997 to promote use of the new TransitCard payment system. Overnight "owl" service was discontinued in April 1998. Express service hours were extended in December 2001 with earlier morning and later evening departures; these adjustments became permanent by 2004.

Beginning in 2005, the CTA launched a $530 million initiative to replace six deteriorated viaducts along the Evanston branch following prolonged political pressure over delays. The Main Street viaduct was replaced over a single weekend in November 2005; Church Street's reconstruction concluded in October 2006.

Between 2006 and 2009, the Howard terminal underwent extensive renovation including complete rebuilding and upgrades to meet ADA accessibility standards.

Due to budget constraints and availability of slower alternative routes along its corridor, the Purple Line Express has often faced potential elimination. Significant threats occurred in 1973 and again in 2005. In 2007, funding shortfalls led to proposed cuts effective September; however, last-minute financial interventions delayed these reductions multiple times. Ultimately, Illinois transit funding legislation passed in January 2008 prevented any service cuts.

The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project, costing $530 million and completed in December 2009, involved upgrades to seven stations shared with the Purple Line as well as track and signal improvements from north of Belmont to the Loop. From April 2007 through early 2010, rush hour trains were limited to every other trip downtown to avoid congestion; full service resumed by February 2010.

During this timeframe, Purple Line Express routing briefly shifted from Inner Loop tracks to Outer Loop tracks to increase rider options but reverted back to Inner Loop routing by spring 2009.

Abandoned initiative

An earlier iteration of the CTA's Circle Line concept involved redirecting the Purple Line Express to merge with the Red Line after Belmont, making stops at Fullerton and all Red Line subway stations, then ending at a newly proposed Wentworth station before continuing northward. This plan was evaluated but eventually discontinued.

Destination indicators

Since 1993, Purple Line trains have featured destination displays showing the route name set against a background matching the line's color.

Station directory

Area	Station	Transit links
Wilmette	Template:Cta Disabled access Template:Rint	Template:Rint Pace Buses: 421, 422, 423
Evanston	Isabella	Closed July 16, 1973; demolished
	Template:Cta	Template:Rint CTA Bus: 201
	Template:Cta
	Template:Cta
	Template:Cta Disabled access	Template:Rint Metra: Template:Rcb (at ) Template:Rint CTA Buses: 93, 201, 206 Template:Rint Pace Buses: 208, 213, 250, 422 Template:Rint Pace Pulse: 101 Dempster Line
	Template:Cta	Template:Rint CTA Bus: 206 Template:Rint Pace Bus: 213
	Template:Cta	Template:Rint Metra: Template:Rcb (at ) Template:Rint CTA Bus: 206 Template:Rint Pace Bus: 213
	Template:Cta	Template:Rint CTA Bus: 206 Template:Rint Pace Bus: 213
Closed September 3,2017; replaced by Washington/Wabash

Purple Line Express trains travel clockwise on the Inner Loop between Clark/Lake and Washington/Wells stations within the Loop district. Following Washington/Wells station, trains proceed to Merchandise Mart before continuing northbound with stops at every station up to Linden.

General references

• Borzo, Greg (2007). The Chicago "L". Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5100-5

External links

• Purple Line on the CTA official website