Yellow Line (CTA)

Yellow Line (Chicago "L")
Company type	Rapid transit line
Industry	Public transportation
Founded	1925
Defunct	1948 (initial closure)
Fate	Reopened 1964 as Skokie Swift, renamed Yellow Line in 1993
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Area served	Chicago and Skokie, Illinois
Key people	George Krambles (Project Manager for Skokie Swift electrification)
Products	Rapid transit service
Owner	Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
Parent	Chicago Transit Authority
Website	www.transitchicago.com/yellow/

The Yellow Line, frequently referred to as the Skokie Swift, is a segment of the Chicago "L" network that extends from the Howard Terminal located on Chicago’s northern edge, passing through southern Evanston, and terminating at the Dempster Terminal in Skokie, Illinois. Along its route, there is a single stop at Oakton Street situated in central Skokie. This line holds the distinction of being the system’s shortest.

At Howard station, riders have access to transfers connecting with both the Purple and Red Lines. The Yellow Line stands out as the only "L" route that does not extend into The Loop area and is fully compliant with the ADA. Its alignment incorporates a below-ground trench segment but lacks any underground tunnels or expressway median sections, utilizing tracks originally laid for the high-speed Skokie Valley Route of the former Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. The western portion of the line includes several grade-level crossings.

There have been proposals to extend this service westward to reach Old Orchard Mall in Skokie. Initially inaugurated in 1925, the line featured multiple intermediate stops across Evanston and Skokie; however, these stations were removed by 1948. A new station at Oakton was constructed beginning in 2010 and officially opened on April 30, 2012.

Operations are conducted using Bombardier-manufactured 5000-series railcars, generally running in two-car sets. In 2023, weekday ridership averaged approximately 1,240 boardings, making it the CTA’s least patronized rail line. Until 2009, the Yellow Line utilized specially modified 3200-series cars equipped with roof boards previously designed for pantograph use; some of these vehicles have since been reassigned to the Brown Line. Occasionally, cars from the Red Line are also deployed on the Yellow Line when necessary.

Route

Starting at the Dempster-Skokie terminal located at 5005 Dempster Street in Skokie, the Yellow Line features a stub track north of this terminal that facilitates train turnarounds. From there, it proceeds southward at street level before veering eastward after Oakton Street, crossing over Skokie Boulevard (U.S. Route 41). Beyond East Prairie Road, the tracks ascend onto an elevated structure.

The line passes adjacent to the Skokie Shops CTA maintenance facility and spans the North Shore Channel. After crossing Dodge Avenue, it descends into a trench for roughly , passing beneath both the Metra Union Pacific North Line and Purple Line tracks before reaching Howard Yard. The route then elevates again to serve the raised Howard station, which includes a short section south of it used for reversing trains.

Operating hours and headways

Service on the Yellow Line runs daily between Dempster-Skokie and Howard stations from 4:45 a.m. until 11:15 p.m. on weekdays, while weekend and holiday operations begin at 6:15 a.m., ending at 11:15 p.m. Train frequency varies from six per hour during peak periods to four per hour during off-peak times.

Niles Center Branch

The origins of what is now known as the Yellow Line trace back to its initial designation as the Niles Center Branch under the former Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT). This branch formed part of the high-speed Skokie Valley interurban route operated by the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. It ran a five-mile (8 km) stretch between Howard Terminal and Dempster Street in Niles Center starting March 28, 1925.

Along this corridor were stops serving Evanston and Skokie (then called Niles Center) at locations including Ridge, Asbury, Dodge, Crawford/East Prairie, Kostner, Oakton, and Main. Service on this branch was discontinued by the Chicago Transit Authority (which had acquired CRT in 1947) on March 27, 1948; bus service via route 97 Skokie replaced it. The stations remained shuttered for a period of fifteen years.

On January 21, 1963, operations ceased for the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad altogether. Later that year, CTA acquired ownership of the track segment between Howard and Dempster. Intermediate stations were not reopened; some abandoned station structures found alternative uses before being demolished during the 1980s.

The Skokie Swift

Initiated on April 20, 1964, the Skokie Swift operated as a rapid shuttle connecting Howard Street in Chicago with Dempster Street in Skokie. This federally-supported mass transit pilot project was funded jointly by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the CTA, and the Village of Skokie.

The service garnered immediate national recognition. On its inaugural day, it transported close to 4,000 passengers over a 16-hour span—surpassing by more than twice the earlier ridership figures of the North Shore Line at Dempster Terminal. By the end of its first year, weekday usage approached 6,000 riders, which led to the introduction of Saturday service attracting over 2,000 passengers. After two years and a cumulative ridership of 3.5 million, CTA incorporated the Skokie Swift permanently into its rapid transit network.

This line effectively demonstrated that drivers would switch to fast mass transit options when accessible and played a key role in the early development of what eventually became known as light rail.

A distinctive aspect of this route was its dual electrification system: one half utilized third rail power while the other half employed overhead catenary wiring inherited from the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad. Trains transitioned smoothly between these power systems through specialized pan trolleys engineered by Project Manager George Krambles.

Saturday operations were discontinued on February 9, 1992 as part of CTA budget cuts. In 1993, the "Skokie Swift" was rebranded as the "Yellow Line" under a system-wide color-coded naming scheme. Nevertheless, signage on trains heading toward Skokie still displays the original name and logo, making it unique among Chicago 'L' lines for publicly retaining its initial designation. Between 1993 and 1994, the Dempster Street Terminal underwent reconstruction with upgraded facilities. In 2003, the historic brick station designed by architect Arthur U. Gerber was relocated eastward, restored, and repurposed for commercial use.

Until third-rail electrification was added in 2004 to enhance reliability and decrease upkeep expenses, the Skokie Swift remained CTA’s sole rapid transit line powered by overhead catenary.

Weekend service resumed in 2008 with Saturdays restored and Sundays newly introduced.

Addition of downtown Skokie station

A groundbreaking event for a new intermediate Yellow Line stop at Oakton–Skokie occurred on June 21, 2010. Situated in downtown Skokie, this marked the first new CTA station opening since 2001 and commenced operations on April 30, 2012.

2015 embankment collapse

On May 17, 2015, an embankment located west of McCormick Boulevard gave way due to construction issues related to the nearby O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant. This caused track damage and forced suspension of Yellow Line service. The CTA shut down the line that evening and restored operations on October 30, 2015. To compensate riders, free fares were offered for one week along with complimentary parking at Dempster-Skokie Terminal through the end of that year.

2023 accident

On November 16, 2023, a southbound train on the Yellow Line struck a CTA snowplow, resulting in injuries to 38 individuals. Following the incident, rail service was halted and replaced by bus shuttle operations. Train service recommenced on January 5, 2024, with speed limits lowered from to until April 20, 2025, when standard speeds were reinstated across most of the line.

Proposed infill station

After reopening the Oakton station, discussions arose regarding new stations at Dodge, Asbury, or Ridge locations in southern Evanston along the Yellow Line. A 2012 assessment identified Asbury as the most viable candidate. , no progress has been made by the CTA on advancing the Asbury station project.

Old Orchard extension

In 2006, the Chicago Transit Authority examined options for extending the Yellow Line northward from Dempster–Skokie to Old Orchard Mall, approximately away. By 2008, two potential corridors were under consideration: one following Union Pacific Railroad tracks (serving bus and heavy rail) and another combining Gross Point Road with Skokie Boulevard (bus only). By April 2009, plans leaned toward a single elevated rail track along the Union Pacific right-of-way, terminating at an elevated platform near Old Orchard. , the CTA has ceased further study of this extension.

Station list


Location	Station	Connections
Skokie	Template:Cta Disabled access Template:Rint	Template:Rint CTA bus routes: 54A, 97 Template:Rint Pace bus routes: 250, 620, 626 Template:Rint Pace Pulse: 101 Template:WikidataCoord
	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
	Template:Cta Disabled access	Template:Rint CTA bus routes: 54A, 97 Template:Rint Pace bus route: 210 Template:WikidataCoord
	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
Evanston	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
	Template:Cta	Closed March 27, 1948; demolished
Chicago	Template:Cta Disabled access Template:Rint	Template:Rint Chicago "L": Template:Rcb Template:Rcb Template:Rint CTA buses: 22, 97, 147, 201, 206 Template:Rint Pace buses: 213, 215, 290 Template:WikidataCoord

Yellow Line on the official CTA website