CTA Surface System History presented by the Illinois Railway Museum

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Route Histories

Click on any route to bring up its history.

  • #1 - Drexel-Hyde Park
  • #2 - Hyde Park
  • #2 - Hyde Park Express
  • #3 - King Drive
  • #X3 - King Drive Express
  • #4 - Cottage Grove
  • #X4 - Cottage Grove Express
  • #5 - Jeffrey
  • #5 - South Shore Night Bus
  • #5B - Yates-Colfax
  • #6 - Garfield
  • #6 - Jeffrey Express
  • #6X - Garfield Express
  • #7 - Harrison
  • #7A - Harrison-Adams
  • #7A - Harrison-Adams Depot Shuttle
  • #8 - Halsted
  • #8A - South Halsted
  • #9 - Ashland
  • #X9 - Ashland Express
  • #10 - Lincoln-Larrabee
  • #10 - Lunch Loop
  • #10 - Museum of Science and Industry
  • #11 - Lincoln-Wabash
  • #12 - Roosevelt
  • #13 - Elston
  • #13 - Southwest Skokie
  • #14 - 14th
  • #14 - Jeffrey Express
  • #15 - Canal-Wacker
  • #15 - Jeffrey Local
  • #15 - Shoppers Loop
  • #16 - Lake
  • #17 - Westchester
  • #17A - Garfield Park Extension
  • #18 - 16th-18th
  • #19 - Devon-NW Express
  • #20 - Madison
  • #X20 - Madison-Washington Express
  • #20A - Madison-5th
  • #21 - Cermak
  • #X21 - Cermak Express
  • #22 - Clark-Wentworth Thru Route
  • #22 - Clark
  • #23 - Morgan-Racine
  • #23 - Washington Express
  • #24 - Wentworth
  • #24 - Windsor Park
  • #25 - Central-Rooevelt-Laramie
  • #25 - West Cermak
  • #25 - Hegwisch
  • #26 - 26th
  • #26 - South Shore Express
  • #27 - South Deering
  • #27A - Torrence
  • #28 - Stony Island
  • #29 - State
  • #30 - South Chicago
  • #30X - South Chicago Express
  • #31 - 31st
  • #31A - West 31st
  • #32 - West 31st
  • #33 - Austin
  • #33 - Magnificent Mile Express
  • #34 - South Michigan
  • #34 - Riverdale-111th
  • #35 - 31st-35th
  • #35W - 35th, West-Pershing
  • #36 - Broadway
  • #36 - Broadway-State Thru Route
  • #36A - Devon
  • #36A - State Limited
  • #37 - Taylor-Sedgwick-Sheffield
  • #37 - Taylor-Sedgwick-Sheffield Depot Shuttle
  • #38 - Indiana
  • #38 - Michigan Express
  • #38 - Ogden-Taylor
  • #39 - Pershing
  • #39A - Pershing, West
  • #40 - Planetarium
  • #40 - O'Hare Express
  • #40 - Chinatown-Pilsen Shuttle
  • #41 - Elston-Clybourn
  • #41 - Clybuorn Depot Shuttle
  • #42 - Halsted-Archer
  • #43 - 43rd
  • #43X - Stock Yards Ltd
  • #44 - Wallace-Racine
  • #45 - Ashland-Downtown
  • #46 - Southport
  • #47 - 47th
  • #47A - West 47th
  • #48 - South Damen
  • #48A - South Damen
  • #49 - Western
  • #49A - South Western
  • #49B - North Western
  • #X49 - Western Express
  • #50 - North Damen
  • #50A - North Damen
  • #51 - 51st
  • #51A - 51st-55th
  • #52 - Kedzie-California
  • #52A - South Kedzie
  • #53 - Pulaski
  • #53A - South Pulaski
  • #53B - North Pulaski
  • #54 - Cicero
  • #54A - North Cicero-Skokie Blvd
  • #54B - South Cicero
  • #X54 - Cicero Express
  • #55 - Garfield
  • #55A - North Elston
  • #55A - 55th-Austin
  • #55N - 55th-Narragansett
  • #X55 - Garfield Express
  • #56 - Milwaukee
  • #56A - North Milwaukee
  • #56X - Milwaukee Ltd
  • #57 - Laramie
  • #58 - Ogden-Randolph
  • #59 - 59th-61st
  • #59A - West 59th
  • #60 - Blue Island-26th
  • #61 - Archer-Franklin Express
  • #62 - Archer
  • #62A - West Archer
  • #62H - Archer-Harlem
  • #62X - Archer Express
  • #63 - 63rd
  • #63A - West 63rd
  • #63W - West 63rd
  • #63X - 63rd Ltd
  • #64 - Foster-Canfield
  • #64 - Foster-Lawrence
  • #65 - Grand
  • #66 - Chicago
  • #67 - 67th-69th-71st
  • #68 - Northwest Highway
  • #69 - Cumberland Express
  • #69 - Foster-East River
  • #69 - Cumberland-East River
  • #70 - Division
  • #70 - West Division
  • #70A - West Division
  • #71 - 71st-South Shore
  • #71A - East 71st
  • #72 - North
  • #72A - West North
  • #72X - North Ltd
  • #73 - Armitage
  • #73A - East Armitage
  • #74 - Fullerton
  • #74B - FullertonWest
  • #74L - 'L'ephant
  • #75 - 74th-75th
  • #76 - Diversey
  • #76A - West Diversey
  • #77 - Belmont
  • #77A - West Belmont
  • #77A - East Belmont
  • #78 - Montrose
  • #78A - West Montrose
  • #79 - 79th
  • #79A - West 79th
  • #80 - Irving Park
  • #80A - West Irving Park
  • #80W - West Irving Park
  • #X80 - Irving Park Express
  • #81 - Lawrence
  • #81A - East Lawrence
  • #81W - West Lawrence
  • #82 - Kimball
  • #82 - Kimball-Homan
  • #82A - Kedzie-Homan
  • #82B - Bell & Howell
  • #83 - 83rd
  • #84 - Peterson
  • #85 - Central
  • #85A - North Central (Original)
  • #85A - Foster-Central
  • #85A - North Central
  • #85X - Central Ltd
  • #86 - Narragansett-Ridgeland
  • #87 - 87th
  • #87 - West 87th
  • #88 - Higgins
  • #89 - Northwest Hwy
  • #89 - Jeffrey-100th
  • #89 - Yates-95th
  • #89 - Northeastern Illinois University U-Bus
  • #89 - North Kedzie
  • #90 - Foster
  • #90 - Harlem
  • #90N - North Harlem
  • #91 - Austin
  • #92 - Foster
  • #92A - West Foster
  • #92W - West Foster
  • #93 - North California-Dodge
  • #94 - South California
  • #94A - North California
  • #95 -West 95th
  • #95 - 93rd-95th
  • #95W - 95th
  • #95W - West 95th
  • #96 - Lunt
  • #97 - Skokie
  • #98 - Ogden
  • #98 - Roscoe
  • #X98 - Avon Express
  • #99 - Stevenson Express
  • #99M - Midway Express
  • #X99 - Chicago Manufacturing Campus Exptress
  • #100 - Jeffrey Manor Express
  • #103 - 103rd-106th
  • #103 - West 103rd
  • #103A - West 103rd
  • #104 - Pullman-Altgeld
  • #106 - East 103rd-106th
  • #106 - 106th
  • #108 - Halsted-95th
  • #110 - Marquette
  • #111 - 111th-115th
  • #111 - 111th-King Drive
  • #111A - West 111th
  • #111A - Pullman Shuttle
  • #111AX - Vincennes Express
  • #112 - Vincennes-111th
  • #115 - 115th
  • #115 - Pullman-115th
  • #119 - Michigan-119th
  • #119 - Vincennes-119th
  • #120 - NW-Wacker Express
  • #121 - Union-Wacker Express
  • #122 - Illinois Center-NW Express
  • #123 - Illinois Center-Union Express
  • #124 - Navy Pier
  • #125 - Water Tower Express
  • #126 - Jackson
  • #126A - Van Buren
  • #126X - Jackson Express
  • #127 - Jackson-Independance
  • #127 - NW-Madison
  • #127 - Madison-Roosevelt Connector
  • #128 - Wacker-Orleans
  • #129 - NW-Franklin
  • #129 - West Loop-South Loop
  • #130 - Museum Campus
  • #131 - Washington
  • #131 - Washington Express
  • #132 - Goose Island Express
  • #134 - Diversey
  • #134 - Stockton-LaSalle Express
  • #135 - Clarendon-LaSalle Express
  • #136 - Douglas
  • #136 - Sheridan-LaSalle Express
  • #142 - Shopping District
  • #143 - Stockton-Michigan Express
  • #144 - Marine-Michigan Express
  • #145 - Wilson-Michigan Express
  • #146 - Sheridan Express
  • #146 - Inner Drive-Michigan Express
  • #147 - Outer Drive Express
  • #148 - Wilson-Michigan Outer Drive Express
  • #148 - Monroe Parking
  • #148 - Clarendon-Michigan Express
  • #149 - Stateliner
  • #151 - Sheridan
  • #152 - Addison
  • #152X - Addison Limited
  • #152X - Addison Express
  • #153 - Wilson-Michigan
  • #154 - Lunt
  • #155 - Devon
  • #155A - Devon-Pratt
  • #155A - West Devon
  • #156 - LaSalle
  • #157 - Streeterville-Ogden
  • #158A - Wacker Express
  • #162 - Pulaski-Stevenson Express
  • #164 - Narragansett Express
  • #165 - West 65th
  • #168 - UIC-Pilsen Express
  • #169 - 69th - UPS Hodgkins Express
  • #170 - University of Chicago-Midway
  • #171 - University of Chicago-Hyde Park
  • #172 - University of Chicago-Kenwood
  • #173 - University of Chicago-Lakeview Express
  • #174 - University of Chicago-Garfield Stations
  • #192 - University of Chicago Hospitals Express
  • #200 - Main Shuttle
  • #201 - Central-Ridge
  • #202 - Main-Emerson
  • #203 - Oakton-Main
  • #203 - Ridge-Grant
  • #204 - Dodge
  • #205 - Chicago-Golf
  • #206 - Evanston Circulator

  • Routes that were discontinued prior to CTA's takeover in 1952

  • CMC #7 - Midway Plaisance
  • CMC #9 - Normal
  • CMC #10 - Loomis
  • CMC #11 - Marquette
  • CMC #12 - South Chicago
  • CMC #30 - Sacramento
  • CMC #32 - Franklin-Garfield Square
  • CMC #39 - Oakley
  • CMC #40 - Northwestern Station-Randolph St. Shopping District
  • CMC #41 - Union Station-Monroe St. Shopping District
  • CMC #43 - Northwestern Station-Randolph St. Shopping District
  • CMC #56 - Sheridan-Stockton

  • Early Transit Companies - Route Histories

  • Calumet Electric Street Ry
  • Chicago City Ry
  • Chicago Consolidated Traction Co
  • North Chicago Street Ry
  • South Chicago City Ry
  • Southern Street Ry
  • West Chicago Ry

  • Route Number History

  • Route Number History


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