Brown Line (CTA)
| Brown Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
A Brown Line train of 3200 series cars | |||
| Overview | |||
| Status | Operating | ||
| Locale | Chicago, Illinois, United States | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 27 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Chicago "L" | ||
| Operator(s) | Chicago Transit Authority | ||
| Depot(s) | Kimball Yard | ||
| Rolling stock | Mixed 2600-series and 3200-series 8 car trains (typical, maximum) | ||
| Daily ridership | 35,176 (avg. weekday in 2024) | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | August 1, 1949 (current operation) | ||
| Technical | |||
| Number of tracks | 2 | ||
| Character | Elevated and at-grade | ||
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge | ||
| Minimum radius | 90 feet (27 m) | ||
| Electrification | Third rail, 600 V DC | ||
| Operating speed | 40 mph (64 km/h) | ||
| |||
The Brown Line of the Chicago "L" system, is an 11.4-mile (18.3 km) route with 27 stations between Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood and downtown Chicago. It runs completely above ground and is almost entirely grade-separated. It is the third-busiest 'L' route, with an average of 35,176 passengers boarding each weekday in 2024.
Before CTA lines were color-coded in 1993, the Brown Line was known as the Ravenswood Route; specifically, the series of stations from Belmont to Kimball were called the Ravenswood branch. Accordingly, the Kimball-Belmont shuttle service was called the Ravenswood Shuttle.