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Chicago "L"

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Also known as Chicago L, Chicago Elevated, Chicago Elevated Rail, Chicago Subway, Chicago Metro, Chicago El, 'L', The 'L'

rapid transit system in Chicago, Illinois, operated by the CTA

Key facts

Locale
Chicago , Illinois , and suburbs, United States
Transit type
Rapid transit
Line number
Blue Line Brown Line Green Line Orange Line Pink Line Purple Line Red Line Yellow Line
Daily ridership
385,500 (weekdays, Q1 2026)
Annual ridership
135,202,800 (2025)
Chief executive
Nora Leerhsen
Headquarters
567 West Lake Street, Chicago, Illinois
Website
www .transitchicago .com
Began operation
June 6, 1892 ; 133 years ago ( 1892-06-06 )
Operator s
Chicago Transit Authority
System length
102.8 mi (165.4 km)
Track gauge
4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge
Minimum radius of curvature
90 feet (27.432 m)
Electrification
Third rail , 600 V DC
Top speed
55 mph (90 km/h)

via Wikipedia infobox

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Encyclopedic overview

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Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Chicago "L"” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.