Northwest Branch (CTA)

Northwest branch
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Chicago "L"
Status	Closed
Locale	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Operation
Opened	May 6, 1895
Closed	February 25, 1951
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority (1947-1951); Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924-1947); Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad (1895-1924)
Character	Elevated
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
	Legend
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The Northwest branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago "L" system from 1895 to 1951. The Northwest branch fed the Humboldt Park and Logan Square branches. It opened on May 6, 1895 and closed on February 25, 1951, when it was replaced by the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway.^[1]

Operations

The Northwest branch separated from the Metropolitan Main Line at the Marshfield Junction, just west of the Marshfield station. The Northwest branch divided into the Humboldt Park and Logan Square branches just northwest of the Damen station (originally called Robey).^[2]

History

Service began on the Northwest branch on May 6, 1895, with service as far as Robey Street (Damen Avenue).^[1] On May 25, 1895, service began on the Logan Square branch^[3] and on July 29, 1895, service began on the Humboldt Park branch.^[4] On February 25, 1951, the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway began service, and service ended on the Northwest elevated branch south of the Damen Avenue station. The Logan Square branch was then replaced by the Milwaukee Avenue Route, which utilized the Milwaukee Avenue elevated of the Logan Square branch and the Milwaukee-Dearborn Subway.^[5] Service on the Humboldt Park branch ended on May 4, 1952.^[4]

Besides the section which was re-used for the Pink Line on the Paulina Connector, one other extant section remains a few blocks north at Paulina and Kinzie Streets, where the old overpass trestle has been re-used as a signaling assembly for the Milwaukee Road/Union Pacific Metra rail lines. All other traces of the former line have been removed.

Station listing