{
    "dataset": "Homzora Chicago CTA Rail Line Reference 2026",
    "city": "Chicago, Illinois and adjacent suburbs",
    "period": "2026",
    "basis": "Line level reference for the Chicago L: eight lines, their terminals, station counts and route length.",
    "network": "The system has eight color coded lines and around 145 stations across 102.8 route miles of track. Station counts by line sum to more than the system total because many stations are served by more than one line.",
    "station_count_note": "Published figures give 145 or 146 stations depending on the source and the date. Homzora does not publish a station level list, because we have not verified all station names and line assignments against a current CTA source.",
    "the_loop": "Five lines run the Loop elevated: Orange, Green, Purple, Brown and Pink. The Loop itself is a 1.79 mile circuit with eight stations. Clark/Lake is the largest interchange, serving six lines including the Blue Line in the subway beneath.",
    "why_this_matters": "When comparing addresses, the useful question is which line serves the nearest station and whether your destination sits on the same one. Chicago differs from smaller systems in having several downtown interchange points rather than a single one, so a crossing journey is usually less punishing than in a city with one interchange.",
    "airports": "Both airports have rail. O Hare is on the Blue Line, Midway on the Orange. Boarding at O Hare carries a five dollar surcharge, and a one day pass costs the same five dollars while also covering the rest of the day.",
    "twenty_four_hour_service": "The Red and Blue Lines run 24 hours, which places Chicago among a small number of cities worldwide offering round the clock rail. The Orange Line had 24 hour service planned from 2026.",
    "not_included": "No commute times. Door to door journey time depends on walking distance, waiting, transfers, time of day and service conditions, none of which Homzora has measured. Bus routes, Metra commuter rail and Pace are outside this dataset.",
    "sources": [
        "Published CTA network information",
        "Wikipedia CTA line articles, cross checked between line entries and the system total"
    ],
    "verified": "2026-09-13",
    "license": "Not yet determined. Source reuse terms have not been reviewed.",
    "methodology": "https://homzora.co/chicago/guides/methodology/",
    "rows": [
        {
            "line": "Red",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Howard",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "95th/Dan Ryan",
            "stations": "33",
            "route_miles": "23.4",
            "twenty_four_hour": "yes",
            "notes": "North side to south side through the State Street subway. The busiest line on the system."
        },
        {
            "line": "Blue",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "O Hare Airport",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "Forest Park",
            "stations": "33",
            "route_miles": "26.9",
            "twenty_four_hour": "yes",
            "notes": "The longest line. Serves O Hare and runs through the Dearborn Street subway downtown."
        },
        {
            "line": "Brown",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Kimball",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "The Loop",
            "stations": "27",
            "route_miles": "11.3",
            "twenty_four_hour": "no",
            "notes": "The Ravenswood branch. Connects north side neighborhoods to the northwest corner of the Loop."
        },
        {
            "line": "Green",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Harlem/Lake",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove",
            "stations": "31",
            "route_miles": "",
            "twenty_four_hour": "no",
            "notes": "Two southern branches from a single northern terminal, so check which branch a train is running."
        },
        {
            "line": "Orange",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Midway Airport",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "The Loop",
            "stations": "16",
            "route_miles": "13.0",
            "twenty_four_hour": "planned",
            "notes": "Serves Midway. Twenty four hour service was planned to begin in 2026."
        },
        {
            "line": "Pink",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "54th/Cermak",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "The Loop",
            "stations": "22",
            "route_miles": "11.2",
            "twenty_four_hour": "no",
            "notes": "Uses former Blue Line tracks west of Damen and enters downtown on the Loop elevated."
        },
        {
            "line": "Purple",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Linden",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "Howard",
            "stations": "11",
            "route_miles": "3.9",
            "twenty_four_hour": "no",
            "notes": "Regular service runs Linden to Howard through Evanston. Some weekday peak trains run express to the Loop."
        },
        {
            "line": "Yellow",
            "north_or_outer_terminal": "Dempster-Skokie",
            "south_or_inner_terminal": "Howard",
            "stations": "3",
            "route_miles": "",
            "twenty_four_hour": "no",
            "notes": "The Skokie Swift. Connects the northern end of the Red Line to Skokie."
        }
    ]
}