The Normal Park branch was a

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 ...

line which was part of the Chicago "L" system from 1907 to 1954. The branch served the Englewood neighborhood of

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

and consisted of four elevated stations. It opened on May 25, 1907, and closed on January 29, 1954.

Operations

The Normal Park branch was a elevated line which served four stations. The branch began at the Harvard station, which served a transfer point to the

Englewood Branch The Ashland branch, formerly known as the Englewood branch, is a long branch of the Chicago "L" currently operated as the Green Line, serving the Englewood and West Englewood neighborhoods of Chicago, Illinois. History The first station on the ...

, and ran southwestward toward the branch's terminal at 69th and Parnell. The branch generally ran only single-car trains, although two-car trains were occasionally run during weekday rush hours. The branch separated from the Englewood branch at Stewart Junction, west of the Harvard station. Although ridership was low, the stations had enough capacity for 8-car trains, rare around the CTA during that time period. The vast majority of the line's traffic came from the terminal at 69th; the

Chicago Normal School Chicago State University (CSU) is a Minority-serving institution, predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public ...

was located in this area, along with a small commercial district. Ridership had always been low on this line: There was very little passenger traffic between Harvard and the 69th St. terminal. By the time the branch was closed in January 1954, it was a shuttle only service between Harvard and 69th. Most of the intermediate stations had been gutted before, and 69th St. station was halfway locked down. The line was completely torn down around Summer 1954. When the

Dan Ryan branch The Dan Ryan branch is a long section of the Chicago "L" system located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, as part of its Red Line service and is normally through-routed downtown towards th ...

(serving the Red Line) was built from 1967 to 1969, a brand new

69th station 69th is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, serving the Red Line. The station is located in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway, within the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. This station connects with the second most ...

was built a half-mile away from the former Normal Park station. While the original 69th St. was a low ridership station, the new 69th St. is one of the busiest stations on the CTA system.

Station listing

References

{{Chicago L Chicago Transit Authority Defunct railroads Railway lines in Chicago Railway lines opened in 1907 Railway lines closed in 1954

Operations

Station listing

See also

References