By Nidhi Madhavan
Chicagoans have a love-hate relationship with public transportation. We’re quick to point out the tedious wait times, the unpredictable schedules, and the often bizarre conditions aboard. But it also drags us home safely after a drunk night out; it keeps us from emptying our wallets at gas stations; for many of us, it’s our only way of getting around.
Regardless of how you think you feel about it, the CTA is a powerful force in Chicago, one that few can say they’ve never used. In fact, the CTA announced Monday that June 2014 ridership reports show that there’s been an average of over 100,000 more riders per weekday since 2009.
The Chicago Transit Authority has been around since 1947, but like its rail tracks, its history is full of twist and turns.
Here’s a few facts about the history of the CTA that might take you by surprise:
Construction of the Elevated Loop in 1895. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority
The Loop existed before the CTA. Since the first rail line opened in 1890, there were several elevated rail lines around the region, all owned by individual private companies. Businessman Charles Tyson Yerkes coordinated the purchase of several downtown rail segments to create the Union Loop, which ran its first full “loop” in 1897.
Division Station during Construction of Dearborn Subway. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority
And so did the subway. Although rail lines were still privately owned, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s public works program provided the city with enough federal funding to build tunnels to help supplement the traffic the elevated loop was getting. Two tunnels, one under State Street and one under Dearborn, began construction in 1938, although the latter didn’t open until 1951, after the creation of the CTA.
Opening of Dearborn Subway. This helped consolidate lines. Photo Courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority
The CTA shrunk, not expanded rail lines. When the Chicago Transit Authority was signed into creation by the Illinois General Assembly, they were given the go ahead to buy out the various unsuccessful private rail lines. When they did so, they didn’t add on to what they bought. Instead, they tore down a quarter of the existing rail lines in the city. But by doing so, they contracted the system into a more streamlined set of routes.
Interior of a green CTA bus in 1950. Photo courtesy of Chicago Transit Authority.
CTA buses used to be green. They were even known as green hornets! They stayed this way up until 1991, when they were given a paint job to match the city and the national’s colors – red, white, and blue.
Blue Line Extension Proposal. Photo Courtesy of Daily Herald.
The Blue Line was at one point supposed to extend to Schaumburg. For those of you unfamilar with the northwest region of Chicago, Schaumburg is a large suburb and huge commercial hub, home to the Woodfield Shopping Center, the second largest mall in the United States. The proposed plans in 2001 would extend blue line rails from O’hare airport north, stopping periodically in other suburban areas as well. However, by 2003 the project was scrapped.
A Painted Staircase at the Pilsen Stop. Photo Credit Angela Stewart.
There’s a theme behind the art you see at stations. The Arts in Transit program teamed up with the CTA in 2004 to bring local works of art to rail stations. The art placed in each station served to highlight the unique features of the neighborhood surrounding it.
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