Happy 25th birthday to the CTA's color-coded train lines

According to the Chicago Transit Authority, today marks 25 years since our the city color-coded the train lines we know and (sometimes) love today. A hearty congratulations to the CTA lines on its ability to rent a car and confront its pending quarter-life crisis. To celebrate the occasion, the CTA has been dishing out factoids about the El on Twitter over the past few days. Here’s a quick look at some of the best tidbits of information:

• The Red Line has the highest ridership of any line. lf you’ve taken a ride toward Howard during rush hour, this should come as no surprise to you.
• The Blue Line is the second-busiest, and although it was formally named in ‘93, it had been marked on maps using that color since the early ‘70s.
• It’s not a coincidence the Evanston train boasts Wildcat colors. The Purple Line got that color in 1993 as a nod to Northwestern University.
• The Green Line includes the two oldest lines in the system, including the Lake Street El and the South Side El.
• The Orange Line opened up 25 years ago this Halloween (fitting, color-wise), as a connection from the Loop to Midway.

Our city’s public transit system has evolved over time, but the basic skeleton has more or less remained intact. Check out this map from 1915:

Illustration: Wikimedia Commons

Obvious differences include the lack of Orange and Pink Lines, the Blue Line’s abrupt terminus at Logan Square and the Red Line’s little split-offs to the Stockyards and the South Shore.

If you’re craving more line-by-line tributes to Chicago’s transit system, this genius assembled a Vine thread that does just that. You’re welcome.

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