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Beginning in the 1870s, as Chicago grew at an incredibly rapid pace, private companies laid rail tracks downtown and began introducing streetcars pulled by horses.
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In the 1880s, these horse-drawn trolleys were replaced by cable car services
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On June 6, 1892, the first elevated—or “L”—train ran from 39th (now Pershing Road) and State streets to Congress Parkway and Wabash Avenue.
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By 1893, the Chicago and South Side Rapid Transit Railroad extended this line to Jackson Park, the site of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.
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The first full circuit of the Loop was completed in 1897. Its steel structure was designed by bridge designer John Alexander Low Waddell.
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All of Chicago’s trains were either elevated or at street grade until the 1940s.
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With funding from the Federal Works Agency—part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal—the State Street Subway, now part of the Red Line, opened in 1943.
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On October 1, 1947, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) assumed operations of all L trains and streetcars.
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The Dearborn Street Subway, now part of the Blue Line, opened in 1951, following a construction delay during World War II.
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Despite these setbacks, the CTA introduced some new services. In 1984, L service to O’Hare Airport began.
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Then in 1993, the CTA started rail service to Midway Airport. Also in 1993, the CTA renamed the rail lines to the colors we know today. This made the system easier to navigate for visitors.
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Since 2005, the L has consistently served more and more people each year, including several all-time ridership records. The CTA has invested in new stations and projects to improve L service.
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The Pink Line opened between the Loop and suburban Cicero in 2006
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In 2012 and 2015, the CTA opened two new stations on the Green Line to serve the West Loop neighborhood and the McCormick Place convention center, respectively.
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In fall 2017, a new Loop station opened at Washington and Wabash.