In this view the old "L" gives way ahead to the new construction
in the vicinity of Harrison. Walking the alley under the original "L," one can look up and see
daylight between the ties when no train is overhead. The
approaching rumble of a Green Line or Orange Line means the view up will
soon be temporarily blocked.
The South Side "L" dates back to
1892, old enough so that it initially utilized steam power, and old
enough so that the line helped move the throngs between downtown and the
Columbian Exposition of 1893.
After the State St.
subway opened in 1943 this stretch of "L" was inactive on
the CTA
for several decades (although North Shore interurbans used it
until 1963). The opening of the Dan Ryan Expy. route in the late 1960s
restored service. In 1993 a major service change took place -- the Dan Ryan route removed into a new connection to the
subway under State St.
The old South Side
route was taken out of the subway, and put back onto the "L"
and into the
Loop. It seems quite fitting, and right.
|
