The Loop Shuttle was a rapid transit line on the
Chicago "L". It operated clockwise around
the Loop, making stops at all stations. The line was inaugurated September 30, 1969, and discontinued September 30, 1977.
Operations
The Loop Shuttle operated continuously clockwise around the inner track of the Loop, approximately . The line provided service Monday through Saturday during the day, with no late night or Sunday service. Evening service was dropped later in its life. The line typically used two-car
6000-series assigned to
Kimball Yard
The Kimball Yard is a CTA rail yard in the Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest side of Chicago, Illinois which stores cars for the Brown Line of the Chicago Transit Authority. Currently, 2600-series and 3200-series railcars are stored h ...
.
During weekday rush hours, the
Evanston Express was the only other route to travel clockwise and use the inner track. Southbound
Lake–Dan Ryan trains shared the inner track on the Lake and Wabash segment.
While the CTA did not formally adopt color-coded lines during its lifetime, the Loop Shuttle was depicted as gray or black on color maps.
History
Opportunity for a continuous "L" line around the Loop was realized in 1969, when modifications were underway to allow
through service A through service is a concept of passenger transport that involves a vehicle travelling between lines, networks or operators on a regularly specified schedule, on which the passenger can remain on board without alighting. It may be in form of eith ...
of the
Lake Street branch
The Lake Street Elevated, also known as the Lake branch, is a long branch of the Chicago "L" which is located west of the Chicago Loop and serves the Green Line for its entire length, as well as the Pink Line east of Ashland Avenue. As of Febr ...
to the newly completed
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 ...
. Prior to this all trains ran counter-clockwise, with
Ravenswood and Evanston Express trains using the outer track and Lake Street trains using the inner track. The new Lake–Dan Ryan Line began on September 28, 1969, and Loop Shuttle service began two days later on September 30. The Ravenswood Line would continue operating counter-clockwise via the outer track and Evanston Express trains would shift to operating clockwise around the inner track on September 30.
The Loop Shuttle was quietly discontinued on September 30, 1977 as a cost-cutting measure.
After the Loop Shuttle's discontinuation, the Evanston Express remained the only route to run clockwise around the Loop. Full time service around the inner loop was restored with the introduction of the
Orange Line in 1993 and later the
Pink Line in 2006.
Station listing
References
{{Chicago L
Railway lines in Chicago
Railway lines opened in 1969
1969 establishments in Illinois