The Lake Street Elevated Railroad was the second permanent elevated

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

line to be constructed in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Illinois. The first section of the line opened in November 1893. Its route is still used today as part of the Green Line route of the

Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid tr ...

system.

History

Clarence A train on the Lake Street Elevated, 1893

The Lake Street Elevated Railway Company was chartered on February 7, 1888, and granted a 25-year franchise by the city council to build an elevated railroad above Lake Street from Canal Street to the city limits. It was originally planned that the line would use a steam-powered monorail system that had been developed by Joe Meigs in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, however the company eventually chose to use more traditional steam locomotives. Construction of the line began in 1889. Potential investors found the franchise too restrictive and a new 40 year franchise was awarded by the city council in November 1890, that allowed the railroad to extend to Market Street in downtown Chicago. By 1892 the company had debts of $17 million. It was sold to new owners, renamed the Lake Street Elevated Railroad Company, and a new charter was granted on August 24, 1892. The first section, running from the downtown terminal at Market Street and Madison to

California Avenue California Avenue station is a Caltrain station located in Palo Alto, California. It stops at the historical town center of Mayfield, which was annexed by the town of Palo Alto in 1925. The current station structure was built in 1983 and the st ...

opened to the public in October 1893. The line was completed to 52nd Avenue (Laramie)—a total length of —in April 1894. Service was extended to Austin Avenue in (what was then) the suburb of

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

via a section of track built at-grade in April 1899.

References

External links

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HAER) No. IL-3,
Lake Street Elevated Railway Interlocking Tower, Pulaski Road, Chicago, Cook County, IL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Street Elevated Railroad Railway lines in Chicago History of Chicago Rapid transit in Illinois Defunct Illinois railroads