Countdown To A New Brown | About the Brown Line

Countdown To A New Brown | The Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project

For more than a century, the Brown Line has served as a vital artery to the neighborhoods and businesses of Chicago's Northwest Side.

Running between downtown and the Northwest Side, the Brown Line was originally constructed in

the late 1800s and early 1900s. The line is one of CTA's busiest rail lines, serving more than 80,000 customers each weekday, with 19 stations from Kimball on the north to the downtown Chicago Loop.

The line is one of CTA's busiest rail lines, serving more than 80,000 customers each weekday.

Before the Brown Line capacity expansion project began, all Brown Line stations accommodated six-car trains with the exception of Merchandise Mart, Fullerton and Belmont, which already could berth eight-car trains. The Brown Line was one of only two CTA rail lines that could not fully accommodate eight-car trains. The other line is the Purple Line.

Since the mid-1990s, CTA has made operational changes to accommodate demand on the Brown Line, including having Purple Line trains stop at Brown Line stations from Belmont to downtown Chicago, extending service hours, adding additional trips during afternoon rush hours, reducing headways and restoring service on Sundays. Despite these service adjustments, persistent crowding on Brown Line station platforms continued to impact customers.

As of