The Westchester 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 c ...

line which was part 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 from 1926 to 1951. The branch served the suburbs of

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

, Maywood, Bellwood, and Westchester, and consisted of nine stations. It opened on October 1, 1926, and closed on December 9, 1951.

Operations

The Westchester branch was long, and originated from the

Garfield Park Branch The Garfield Park Branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago "L" system from 1895 to 1958. The branch served Chicago's Near West Side, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, and Austin neighborhoods, and the suburbs of Oak ...

at the Des Plaines station in

Forest Park, Illinois Forest Park (formerly Harlem) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, United States. The population was 14,339 at the 2020 census. The Forest Park terminal on the CTA Blue Line is the line's western terminus, located on the ...

. Initially the line terminated at

Roosevelt Road Roosevelt Road (originally named 12th Street) is a major east-west street in the city of Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. It is 1200 South in the city's street numbering system, but only south of Madison Street. It runs under this ...

near Bellwood Avenue. On December 1, 1930, service was extended to Mannheim/22nd. Service on the Westchester branch ended on December 9, 1951, and was replaced by the Westchester bus route (now

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US * Pace Airlines, an American charter airline *Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

Route 317), which largely mirrored the route of the Westchester branch, though the bus route only extended as far south as Canterbury Street.

Station listing

References

{{Chicago L Chicago Transit Authority Defunct railroads Railway lines in the United States 1926 establishments in Illinois 1951 disestablishments in Illinois