Skip-stop on the Chicago "L"
| Company type | Public transit agency |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
Area served | Chicago metropolitan area |
| Products | Rapid transit (Chicago "L") |
The Chicago "L" implemented a skip-stop operation, where trains halted exclusively at selected stations, from 1948 until 1995. This approach was designed to accelerate travel times along certain lines and represented one of the initial reforms introduced by the Chicago Transit Authority following its assumption of control over the "L" system.
Background
Between 1892 and 1900, the foundational infrastructure of the Chicago "L" was established by four independent companies that later consolidated into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company in 1924. During the period from the 1910s through the 1930s, investment toward expanding rapid transit was limited. By 1936, despite Chicago’s larger population and area, Manhattan boasted a greater mileage of rapid transit lines.
In the 1920s, the "L" faced criticism for poor management and for Chicago’s lack of a subway network comparable to those in cities such as New York and Boston. Subway development lagged significantly; the State Street Subway was not completed until 1943, with the Dearborn Street Subway following about ten years later. Consequently, most rapid transit routes remained elevated.
A major operational challenge was slow train speeds. By the late 1940s, many wooden cars dating back to the 1890s were still in service, and stations were positioned closely together. The majority of track segments consisted of two tracks without physical separation between local and express services, limiting potential operational enhancements. Notable exceptions included the Lake Street Elevated and South Side Elevated (now part of the modern Green Line) which featured third tracks dedicated to peak-hour express trains, as well as the North Side main line—encompassing parts of today’s Brown, Red, and Purple Lines—which had four tracks allowing for both local and express service in both directions. When the Chicago Transit Authority assumed authority in 1947 amid declining ridership figures, immediate operational improvements became a priority.
Implementation
Skip-stop service was first launched on April 5, 1948, along the Lake Street Elevated line to counteract competition from streetcars, address closely spaced stations, and manage aging infrastructure. This initiative involved closing ten stations that accounted for only eight percent of overall ridership and applying skip-stop operations to surviving stops east of Pulaski, with stations alternating between "A" and "B" classifications—except for Lake Street Transfer, which remained an all-stop station. Service operated from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Stations within the Loop remained unaffected by these changes. These modifications coincided with the demolition of the former Market Terminal station and removal of the line’s third express track.
This adjustment on Lake Street reduced operating times by approximately one-third, motivating other lines to adopt skip-stop methods. On August 1, 1949, skip-stop service began on the "North-South route" (Howard–Englewood–Jackson Park) and Ravenswood branch, resulting in closure of 23 stations with low usage. All stations along these routes participated: Englewood branch stops were designated "A," Jackson Park stops "B," with service running from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. A trial of Sunday skip-stop service occurred between 1950 and 1952 but was discontinued due to excessive waiting times; no other routes implemented Sunday skip-stop.
Following the inauguration of the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway on February 25, 1951, weekday A/B skip-stop service commenced but was suspended after just one rush hour because signage issues arose amid heavy passenger volumes. Skip-stop operations resumed in 1958 and continued until their eventual discontinuation across the system.
The Evanston Line (currently known as the Purple Line) and Skokie Swift (now part of the Yellow Line) never incorporated skip-stop service. The Evanston Line employed traditional express service facilitated by the quadruple-track configuration of the North Side Main Line, while the Skokie Swift functioned as a shuttle route where skip-stop service was not feasible.
Station Categories
Stations were classified as follows:
- A station: exclusively served by "A trains."
- B station: exclusively served by "B trains."
- AB station: accommodated both "A" and "B" train services.
- All-stop station: functionally identical to "AB" stations on lines without skip-stop service.
Signage denoted skip-stop status: between the 1940s and 1970s, A stations featured red or yellow bars, B stations showed blue or green bars, and AB stations combined both colors. During the 1970s, A stations adopted red signs, B stations green signs, and AB stations blue signs. This system was replaced in the early 1990s by a standardized blue signage scheme, regardless of skip-stop classification.
Decline and Termination
Although the CTA made efforts in the late 1940s and early 1950s to sustain ridership, passenger numbers fell as suburbanization increased. Passengers grew increasingly dissatisfied with longer intervals between trains, particularly when skip-stop services bypassed their stops even though overall travel times were shortened.
Service levels gradually decreased. In 1993, route reorganizations established the Red Line and Green Line. Skip-stop operations were eliminated on the Green Line due to reduced ridership and on the Red Line’s Dan Ryan branch because of greater distances between stations. The Orange Line, which launched later that year, operated with all-stop service only. By early 1995, skip-stop remained active solely during peak hours on the Howard section of the Red Line, the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line, and the Brown Line. Eventually, decreasing patronage led to complete discontinuation of skip-stop service in spring 1995.