Brown Line (CTA)

A Brown Line train crosses the north branch of the Chicago River.

Between Rockwell and Western stations a ramp carries Brown Line trains from ground-level to elevated tracks.

Northward view from Adams/Wabash station

Brown and Orange line trains contend for the intersection at the southeast corner of the Chicago Loop. Photographed from the Adams/Wabash crossover walkway on the Green, Orange, Brown and Purple lines.

Chicago Transit Authority control tower 18 guides elevated Chicago 'L' north and southbound Purple and Brown lines intersecting with east and westbound Pink and Green lines and the looping Orange line above the Wells and Lake street intersection in the loop.

The Brown Line begins on the northwest side of Chicago, at the Kimball terminal in Albany Park, where there is a storage yard and servicing shop for the trains to the east of the passenger station. From there, trains operate over street level tracks between Leland and Eastwood Avenues to Rockwell, then ramp up to the elevated structure for the rest of the trip.

The trains on the street-level section are powered by third rail rather than overhead catenary (the technology used by most other U.S. electric-powered at-grade rail systems), a decision that exposes wayward pedestrians to the risk of electrocution. A fatal accident in 1977 involving an intoxicated man, who did not speak English and was unable to read the posted warning signage, attempted to urinate on the third rail at the Kedzie station eventually resulted in an Illinois Supreme Court decision in 1992 affirming a verdict of $1.5 million against CTA.[2]

After the Damen station, the route turns south, about one-half block parallel and west of Metra's Union Pacific North railroad line and Ravenswood Avenue to a point south of the Addison station. Here the route turns east again and runs parallel to Roscoe Street past Sheffield Avenue where it once again turns south at Clark Junction to join the four-track North Side elevated line in Lakeview. From just north of Belmont station south to Armitage, Brown and Red Line trains operate side by side, with Purple Line Express trains sharing the tracks with the Brown Line during weekday rush hours. Brown and Purple Line trains run on the outermost tracks serving five stops, while Red Line trains run on the innermost tracks making only two stops.

South of the Armitage station, Brown and Purple Line trains continue southward towards the Chicago Loop on elevated tracks which zigzags its way through the neighborhoods of Lincoln Park and Near North Side stopping at Sedgwick and Chicago. Running over Franklin, then Wells Street, a stop is made at the Merchandise Mart before crossing the Chicago River on the upper level of the Wells Street Bridge before joining the Loop Elevated at Lake Street. Operating counter-clockwise, Brown Line trains operate around the Loop on the Outer track via Wells-Van Buren-Wabash-Lake, serving all Loop stations, before the return trip back north to the Kimball terminal.

There are three sections of the Brown Line which includes the Ravenswood Branch that connects from Kimball Avenue station to Belmont Avenue station; merging from the Purple Line Express. Another is the North Side Main Line which connects from Belmont Avenue station to the Merchandise Mart before entering the Loop. The Brown Line enters the loop going counter-clockwise from Washington/​Wells to Clark/Lake and then exits the loop, heading towards the Kimball Avenue station.

The Brown Line operates between Kimball and the Loop weekdays and Saturdays from 4 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. and on Sundays from 5 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. The Brown Line Shuttle service runs only between Kimball and Belmont between 1:30 a.m. and 2:25 a.m. At Belmont, southbound riders can transfer to the 24-hour Red Line. On weekdays, service runs between three and eight minutes during rush hour, seven to eight minutes during midday, then six to twelve minutes during nighttime.

On weekends, early morning service operates every fifteen minutes, then increases to seven to eight minutes on Saturdays during the day and ten minutes on Sundays during the day, then at nighttime every ten to twelve minutes. Late night service operates every fifteen minutes until the end of service, although late night trips from Kimball to Belmont stations operate every half hour Monday thru Saturday nights.

During morning rush hour, several Brown Line trains bound for the Loop continue toward the Orange Line after stopping at the Harold Washington Library station; whereas several Orange Line trains bound for Kimball continue as the Brown Line after stopping at Adams/Wabash station.[3]

The Brown Line is operated with the 2600-series and 3200-series railcars. The Brown Line operates using eight cars during weekday rush hours and four cars at other times. In the meantime, CTA has completed the process of overhauling the 3200-series cars with color LED destination signs (similar to the 5000-series cars), new air conditioning systems, rebuilt propulsion systems, passenger door motors, and wheel/axle assemblies. The 3200-series rehabilitation began in 2015 and was completed in 2018. Later that year, some of the Brown Line's 3200-series cars were transferred to the Blue Line, with some of the Orange Line's 2600-series cars being transferred to the Brown Line.

Beginning in March 2008, the Brown Line began running eight cars during rush hours, since all of the reopened or renovated stations have been rebuilt to accommodate eight cars.[4] Prior to this, although ridership certainly warranted eight cars on the Brown Line during weekday rush hours, most stations on the line couldn't berth longer than six cars. Early morning, midday, late evening, and weekend service is generally provided by four cars, although this may be extended to eight cars due to special events and holidays.

The Northwestern Elevated Railroad opened the line, originally known as the Ravenswood line, between the existing main line and Western Avenue in Lincoln Square on May 18, 1907.[5] The route was completed to the Kimball terminal on December 14, 1907.[6]

The Kimball terminal was completely renovated and a new bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River was completed in the 1970s. The Western and Merchandise Mart stations were rebuilt in the 1980s. Prior to the start of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project, these two stations, along with the Kimball terminal were the only ADA accessible stations on the Brown Line outside of the Loop.

Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project

The new Rockwell Station opened in August 2006.

The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project—which ran from 2004 to 2009—was undertaken to repair ageing infrastructure and increase passenger capacity.[7] Work on the project began in late 2004 with signal upgrades, particularity at Clark Junction.[8] In February 2006, heavy construction began with right-of-way modernization between Kimball and Rockwell Avenue. Traction power equipment and train control systems were upgraded and a new fiber optic communication network installed.[9]

Brown Line stations were rebuilt or modified meet ADA compliance and to accommodate eight-car trains, increasing from the previous maximum of six-cars. Merchandise Mart was the only station not to receive any work as it had previously been reconstructed from 1987 to 1988, and was already ADA compliant and able to accommodate eight-car trains. Two stations, Kimball and Western, received small platform extensions but little other work, and the other 16 stations were completely rebuilt.[10]

The first two stations to be completed, Kedzie and Rockwell, reopened on August 16, 2006,[11] and all of the stations had reopened by July 30, 2009, when the new Wellington station entered service.[12] The project was completed on December 31, 2009.[13]

Neighborhood	Station	Points of Interest & Notes
Albany Park	Kimball	Points of interest: Northeastern Illinois University, WTTW, Northside College Prep, Von Steuben Metropolitan High School, Albany Park Library Connections: CTA Bus: 81 Lawrence, 82 Kimball/Homan, 93 California/Dodge
	Kedzie	Points of interest: North Park University, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Swedish Covenant Hospital
	Francisco	Points of interest: Ravenswood Manor Historic District, Stephen Tyng Mather High School
Lincoln Square	Rockwell
	Western	Points of interest: Sulzer Regional Library, Krause Music Store, Davis Theater, Old Town School of Folk Music Connections: CTA Bus: 11 Lincoln, 49 Western, 49B North Western, X49 Western Exp.
	Damen	Points of interest: Ravenswood, Amundsen High School, Rosehill Cemetery, St. Gregory the Great High School Connections: Metra: ■ Union Pacific North (at Ravenswood) CTA Bus: 50 Damen
	Ravenswood	Closed August 1, 1949
Lincoln Square/ North Center	Montrose	Points of interest: Ravenswood, Kinetic Playground, Lillstreet Art Center, All Saints Episcopal Church Connections: CTA Bus: 78 Montrose
North Center	Irving Park	Points of interest: Lake View High School, Graceland Cemetery, St. Benedict High School Connections: CTA Bus: 80 Irving Park
	Addison	Points of interest: DePaul College Prep, WGN-TV, Lane Tech College Prep High School Connections: CTA buses: 152 Addison
Lake View	Paulina	Points of interest: Electrical Audio Recording Facility Connections: CTA Bus: 9 Ashland
	Southport	Points of interest: Music Box Theatre, Theatre Building Chicago
	Belmont	Points of interest: Briar Street Theater, Boystown, The Vic Theatre Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Red Purple CTA Bus: 22 Clark, 77 Belmont
	Wellington	Points of interest: The Alarm, Signal of Peace, Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Lincoln Park	Diversey	Points of interest: Lincoln Park, Apollo Theater Chicago, Brewster Apartments, Wiggly Field, Francis J. Dewes House Connections: CTA Bus: 76 Diversey
	Wrightwood	Closed August 1, 1949
	Fullerton	Points of interest: Lincoln Park, DePaul University, St. Josaphat Roman Catholic Church, Biograph Theater Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Red Purple CTA Bus: 37 Sedgwick, 74 Fullerton
	Webster	Closed August 1, 1949
	Armitage	Points of interest: Lincoln Park, Lincoln Park High School, Goose Island Brewery, Lincoln Park Zoo Connections: CTA Bus: 73 Armitage
	Willow	Closed May 17, 1942
	Halsted	Closed August 1, 1949
Near North Side	Larrabee	Closed August 1, 1949
	Sedgwick	Points of interest: Old Town, The Second City, Piper's Alley, Chicago History Museum, North Avenue Beach, Steppenwolf Theatre Company Connections: CTA Bus: N9 Ashland, 37 Sedgwick, 72 North
	Schiller	Closed August 1, 1949
	Division	Closed August 1, 1949
	Oak	Closed July 31, 1949
	Chicago	Points of interest: River North, Moody Bible Institute, Walter Payton College Prep, Cabrini–Green Homes Connections: CTA Bus: 37 Sedgwick, 66 Chicago
	Grand	Closed September 20, 1970
	Kinzie	Closed 1921; replaced by Grand
	Merchandise Mart	Points of interest: River North, Merchandise Mart Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Purple CTA Bus: 37 Sedgwick, 125 Water Tower Exp.
The Loop	Randolph/Wells	Closed July 17, 1995; partially demolished and replaced by Washington/Wells
	Washington/​Wells (outer platform)	Points of interest: Chicago City Hall, Civic Opera House, Chicago Mercantile Exchange Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Orange Purple Pink Metra: ■ Union Pacific North, ■ Union Pacific Northwest, ■ Union Pacific West (at Ogilvie Transportation Center) CTA Bus: J14 Jeffery Jump, 20 Madison, 37 Sedgwick, 56 Milwaukee, 60 Blue Island/26th, 124 Navy Pier, 157 Streeterville/Taylor
	Madison/Wells	Closed January 30, 1994; demolished and replaced by Washington/Wells
	Quincy (outer platform)	Points of interest: Willis Tower Connections: Metra: ■ BNSF, ■ Heritage Corridor, ■ Milwaukee District North, ■ Milwaukee District West, ■ North Central Service, ■ SouthWest Service (at Union Station) Amtrak long-distance: California Zephyr, City of New Orleans, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief, Texas Eagle, Lake Shore Limited, Capitol Limited (at Union Station) Amtrak intercity: Hiawatha, Illini and Saluki, Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg, Cardinal, Pere Marquette, Wolverine, Blue Water, Lincoln Service (at Union Station) CTA Bus: 1 Bronzeville/Union Station, 7 Harrison, 28 Stony Island, 37 Sedgwick, 126 Jackson, 130 Museum Campus, 151 Sheridan, 156 LaSalle
	LaSalle/Van Buren (outer platform)	Points of interest: Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Metropolitan Correctional Center Connections: Metra trains: ■ Rock Island (at LaSalle Street Station) CTA Bus: 22 Clark, 24 Wentworth, 36 Broadway, 130 Museum Campus
	Harold Washington Library (outer platform)	Points of interest: Harold Washington Library, DePaul University, Robert Morris University, John Marshall Law School, Chicago Bar Association, Auditorium Building Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Orange Purple Pink, Red (at Jackson), Blue (at Jackson) CTA Bus: 2 Hyde Park Exp., 6 Jackson Park Exp., 10 Museum of Science & Industry, 22 Clark, 24 Wentworth, 29 State, 36 Broadway, 62 Archer, 146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Exp., 147 Outer DuSable Lake Shore Exp.
	Adams/Wabash (outer platform)	Points of interest: Grant Park, Petrillo Music Shell, Buckingham Fountain, Art Institute of Chicago, Orchestra Hall, DePaul University Loop campus Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Orange Green Purple Pink CTA Bus: 1 Bronzeville/Union Station, 7 Harrison, 28 Stony Island, 126 Jackson, 151 Sheridan
	Madison/Wabash	Closed March 16, 2015; demolished and replaced by Washington/Wabash
	Washington/​Wabash (outer platform)	Points of interest: Chicago Cultural Center, WFLD-TV, WPWR-TV, Millennium Park Connections: Metra: ■ Metra Electric (at Millennium Station) NICTD: South Shore Line (at Millennium Station) CTA Bus: J14 Jeffery Jump, 20 Madison, 56 Milwaukee, 60 Blue Island/26th, 124 Navy Pier, 147 Outer DuSable Lake Shore Exp., 151 Sheridan, 157 Streeterville/Taylor
	Randolph/Wabash	Closed September 3, 2017; demolished and replaced by Washington/Wabash
	State/Lake (outer platform)	Points of interest: Chicago Theatre, Gene Siskel Film Center, Harold Washington College, WLS-TV Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Red (at Lake) CTA Bus: 2 Hyde Park Exp., 6 Jackson Park Exp., 10 Museum of Science & Industry, 29 State, 36 Broadway, 62 Archer, 146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Exp.
	Clark/Lake (outer platform)	Points of interest: James R. Thompson Center, Richard J. Daley Center Connections: CTA 'L' trains: Blue Green Purple Orange Pink CTA Bus: 22 Clark, 24 Wentworth, 134 Stockton/LaSalle Exp., 135 Clarendon/LaSalle Exp., 136 Sheridan/LaSalle Exp., 156 LaSalle

• Note: After stopping at Clark/Lake, Brown Line trains return to Merchandise Mart, then make all stops back to Kimball.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to CTA Brown Line.

• Brown Line at CTA official site