Yellow Line (CTA)

Yellow Line
A Yellow Line train of 5000-series cars.
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Chicago "L"
Locale	Chicago and Skokie, Illinois, U.S.
Termini	Howard Dempster–Skokie
Stations	3
Daily ridership	7,063 (avg. weekday September 2012)
Operation
Opened	March 28, 1925
Closed	March 27, 1948
Reopened	April 20, 1964
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority
Character	Elevated, open cut, and grade level
Rolling stock	5000-series
Technical
Line length	5.1 mi (8.2 km)
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail, 600 V DC
Route map North Shore Line Skokie Valley Route Old Orchard(Proposed) Dempster–Skokie Oakton–Skokie North Shore Channel Skokie Evanston Asbury(Proposed) UP-N Evanston Chicago Purple Line Red Line Howard   Proposed line extension

The Yellow Line, formerly known as the Skokie Swift, is part of the Chicago Transit Authority's "L" system in Chicago, Illinois. The 5.1-mile (8.2 km) route runs from the Howard Terminal on the north side of Chicago, through the southern part of Evanston and to the Dempster Terminal in Skokie, Illinois, making one intermediate stop at Oakton Street in Skokie.

At Howard, Yellow Line passengers can transfer to the Purple or Red Lines of the CTA. The Yellow Line is the only CTA line that does not go to The Loop and is the only Chicago "L" train route that is fully ADA accessible. It is also unique in that it runs in a below-grade trench for part of its length, even though it has no subway components and does not run in an expressway median. It also includes grade segments and crossings at the northern portion of the line. It was built using the tracks of the former Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad's high-speed Skokie Valley Route.

Extending the line to Old Orchard Mall in Skokie has been discussed. At one time, the line had several intermediate stops in Evanston and Skokie, but these stations have long been out of use and dismantled. In June 2010, however, construction began on a new station at Oakton, which opened on April 30, 2012.

Trains operate using the Bombardier-built 5000-series railcars; each train consists of two cars, with 10 to 12 minutes of headway between trains. From Dempster-Skokie to Howard, trains operate daily between 5:00am and 11:15pm on weekdays, and between 6:30am and 11:15pm on weekends and holidays; from Howard to Dempster-Skokie, trains operate between 4:45am to 11:00pm on weekdays, and between 6:15am and 11:00pm on weekends and holidays. Average weekday boardings of 7,063 were reported in September 2012. Until late 2009, the Yellow Line was operated with Morrison-Knudsen-built 3200-Series cars that were specially equipped with roof boards that until late 2004 held pantographs. (The roof boards remain on cars 3441-3456 to this day even after they were all officially reassigned to the Brown Line.), Occasionally, the Yellow Line borrows cars from the Red Line when short on cars.