CTA Brown Line: Route, Stations and Guide

The CTA Brown Line runs from Kimball in Albany Park through Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, Lake View and Lincoln Park to the Loop elevated downtown. It has 27 stations, including the eight Loop stations. Trains run from about 4 a.m. to about 2 a.m. and do not run overnight.

Fact	Brown Line
Terminals	Kimball (north) and the Loop (downtown)
Stations	27, including 8 on the Loop (State/Lake closed into 2029)
Length	About 11.4 miles
Hours	About 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.; not 24 hours
Loop direction	Counter-clockwise, entering at Washington/Wells and leaving at Clark/Lake
Main transfers	Belmont and Fullerton (Red, Purple Express), Loop stations

Route overview

The Brown Line starts at Kimball and runs east through Albany Park, Lincoln Square and Ravenswood. It turns south through North Center and Lake View, shares stations with the Red Line at Belmont and Fullerton and with the Purple Line Express from Belmont south, and continues through Lincoln Park and Old Town to the Merchandise Mart.

Downtown, Brown Line trains run counter-clockwise around the Loop elevated before heading back north from Clark/Lake. The Brown Line Capacity Expansion, which lengthened platforms for longer trains, was finished in December 2009.

Hours

Direction	Weekdays	Saturday	Sunday/holiday
Kimball to Loop	4:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.	4:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.	5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Loop to Kimball	4:35 a.m. to 2:05 a.m.	4:35 a.m. to 2:05 a.m.	5:35 a.m. to 1:35 a.m.

Times are first and last trains as listed by CTA. CTA’s station list marks Wellington through Merchandise Mart as rush-period stops for the Purple Line Express, which shares those platforms.

Stations, Kimball to the Loop

#	Station	Area	Transfers and notes
1	Kimball	Budlong Woods	Park and Ride
2	Kedzie	Albany Park
3	Francisco	Albany Park
4	Rockwell	Lincoln Square
5	Western	Lincoln Square
6	Damen	Ravenswood
7	Montrose	Ravenswood
8	Irving Park	North Center
9	Addison	North Center
10	Paulina	Roscoe Village
11	Southport	Lake View
12	Belmont	Lake View	Red, Purple Express (rush periods)
13	Wellington	Lake View	Purple Express (rush periods)
14	Diversey	Lincoln Park	Purple Express (rush periods)
15	Fullerton	Lincoln Park	Red, Purple Express (rush periods)
16	Armitage	Lincoln Park	Purple Express (rush periods)
17	Sedgwick	Old Town	Purple Express (rush periods)
18	Chicago		Purple Express (rush periods)
19	Merchandise Mart	Near North Side	Purple Express (rush periods)
20	Washington/Wells	The Loop	Orange, Pink, Purple (rush periods); Metra Union Pacific lines at Ogilvie
21	Quincy	The Loop	Metra BNSF, Milwaukee District, North Central and Amtrak at Union Station
22	LaSalle/Van Buren	The Loop	Metra Rock Island at LaSalle Street Station
23	Harold Washington Library-State/Van Buren	The Loop	Orange, Pink, Purple (rush periods); Blue and Red subways with farecard
24	Adams/Wabash	The Loop	Green, Orange, Pink, Purple (rush periods)
25	Washington/Wabash	The Loop	Metra Electric and South Shore Line at Millennium Station
26	State/Lake	The Loop	Temporarily closed for reconstruction into 2029
27	Clark/Lake	The Loop	Blue (subway), Green, Orange, Pink, Purple (rush periods)

State/Lake, on the north side of the Loop, is temporarily closed for reconstruction into 2029; CTA directs riders to Clark/Lake or Washington/Wabash instead.

Notable stations and what is near them

Western and Rockwell: serve Lincoln Square.
Irving Park and Addison: North Center.
Paulina: Roscoe Village.
Southport and Belmont: Lakeview.
Armitage, Diversey and Fullerton: Lincoln Park.
Sedgwick: Old Town.
Merchandise Mart: the Merchandise Mart on the Near North Side, the last stop before the Loop.

Transfers

Belmont and Fullerton: Red Line and Purple Line Express (rush periods).
Wellington through Merchandise Mart: Purple Line Express (rush periods).
Washington/Wells: Orange, Pink, Purple Express; Metra at Ogilvie.
Quincy: Metra and Amtrak at Union Station.
LaSalle/Van Buren: Metra Rock Island at LaSalle Street.
Harold Washington Library: Orange, Pink, Purple Express; Blue and Red subways with a farecard.
Adams/Wabash: Green, Orange, Pink, Purple Express.
Washington/Wabash: Metra Electric and South Shore Line at Millennium Station.
Clark/Lake: Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple Express.

Tips for riding the Brown Line

The Brown Line is the most direct L line to Lincoln Square, North Center and Roscoe Village.
At Belmont and Fullerton you can switch to a Red Line train across the platform for a faster trip downtown.
Inbound trains circle the Loop, so check the next stop before getting off downtown.
Kimball has a Park and Ride lot.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Brown Line run 24 hours?

No. Trains run from about 4 a.m. to about 2 a.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, with later starts on Sundays and holidays.

How many stations are on the Brown Line?

27, counting the eight Loop elevated stations. State/Lake is temporarily closed into 2029.

Which direction does the Brown Line go around the Loop?

Counter-clockwise. Trains enter at Washington/Wells and leave the Loop after Clark/Lake.

Where can I transfer from the Brown Line to the Red Line?

At Belmont and Fullerton, where the two lines share platforms.

Is the Brown Line the Ravenswood line?

Yes. The branch to Ravenswood opened in 1907 and became the Brown Line when CTA switched to color names in the 1990s.

Related guides

Sources

Last updated: October 31, 2026