CTA Green Line: Route, Stations and Guide

The CTA Green Line runs from Harlem/Lake on the Oak Park border, east along Lake Street and through the Loop, then south to two branches ending at Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove. It has 31 stations and does not run overnight. The South Side section includes the 1892 route of Chicago’s first L.

Fact	Green Line
Terminals	Harlem/Lake (west); Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove (south)
Stations	31: 27 on the main line, 2 on each south branch
Length	About 20.8 miles
Hours	About 4 a.m. to 1 a.m.; not 24 hours
Branch point	Garfield
Main transfers	Ashland, Morgan and Clinton (Pink), Loop stations, Roosevelt (Red, Orange)
Newest station	Damen, opened August 5, 2024

Route overview

The Green Line runs on the Lake Street elevated through Oak Park, Austin and Garfield Park, then crosses the Near West Side and West Loop to the Loop. It crosses downtown on the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue sides of the Loop elevated without circling it.

South of the Loop, the line runs through the Near South Side and Bronzeville to Garfield, where it splits. The East 63rd branch serves King Drive and Cottage Grove in Woodlawn; the Ashland branch serves Halsted and Ashland/63rd in Englewood.

The Lake Street line opened in 1893 and the South Side line in 1892. The Green Line name dates to February 21, 1993, and the whole line closed for renovation from January 9, 1994, to May 12, 1996.

Hours

Direction	Weekdays	Saturday	Sunday/holiday
Harlem to Cottage Grove	3:45 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.	4:45 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.	4:45 a.m. to 12:45 a.m.
Cottage Grove to Harlem	4:10 a.m. to 1:10 a.m.	5:10 a.m. to 1:10 a.m.	5:10 a.m. to 1:10 a.m.
Harlem to Ashland/63rd	4:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.	5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.	5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Ashland/63rd to Harlem	3:50 a.m. to 12:50 a.m.	4:50 a.m. to 12:50 a.m.	4:50 a.m. to 12:50 a.m.

Stations, Harlem/Lake to the South Side

#	Station	Area	Transfers and notes
1	Harlem/Lake	Oak Park	Metra Union Pacific West at Oak Park
2	Oak Park	Oak Park
3	Ridgeland	Oak Park
4	Austin	Austin
5	Central	Austin
6	Laramie	Austin
7	Cicero	Austin
8	Pulaski	West Garfield Park
9	Conservatory-Central Park Drive	East Garfield Park
10	Kedzie	East Garfield Park
11	California
12	Damen	Near West Side	Newest L station, opened 2024
13	Ashland	Near West Side	Pink
14	Morgan	Near West Side	Pink
15	Clinton	West Loop	Pink; Metra at Ogilvie
16	Clark/Lake	The Loop	Blue, Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple Express
17	State/Lake	The Loop	Temporarily closed for reconstruction into 2029
18	Washington/Wabash	The Loop	Metra Electric and South Shore Line at Millennium Station
19	Adams/Wabash	The Loop	Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple Express
20	Roosevelt	Near South Side	Red, Orange
21	Cermak-McCormick Place	McCormick Place
22	35th-Bronzeville-IIT	Bronzeville	Metra Rock Island at 35th Street/Lou Jones
23	Indiana	Grand Boulevard
24	43rd	Grand Boulevard
25	47th
26	51st	Grand Boulevard/Washington Park
27	Garfield	Washington Park	Line splits here
28	King Drive (East 63rd branch)	Woodlawn	Harlem-bound boarding only
29	Cottage Grove (East 63rd branch)	Woodlawn	Terminal
30	Halsted (Ashland branch)	Englewood
31	Ashland/63rd (Ashland branch)	West Englewood	Terminal; Park and Ride

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

Harlem/Lake and Oak Park: downtown Oak Park, with Metra Union Pacific West at Oak Park.
Conservatory-Central Park Drive: the Garfield Park Conservatory area in East Garfield Park.
Damen: the newest L station, opened August 5, 2024, on the Near West Side.
Morgan and Clinton: the West Loop area.
Cermak-McCormick Place: the McCormick Place convention center.
35th-Bronzeville-IIT: Bronzeville and the Illinois Institute of Technology campus.
Garfield: Washington Park, where the line splits into its two branches.

Transfers

Ashland, Morgan and Clinton: Pink Line.
Clinton: Metra at Ogilvie Transportation Center.
Clark/Lake: Blue, Brown, Orange, Pink and Purple Express.
Washington/Wabash: Metra Electric and South Shore Line at Millennium Station.
Adams/Wabash: Brown, Orange, Pink and Purple Express.
Roosevelt: Red and Orange lines.
35th-Bronzeville-IIT: Metra Rock Island at 35th Street/Lou Jones.

Tips for riding the Green Line

Check the destination sign on southbound trains: they go either to Ashland/63rd or to Cottage Grove.
King Drive is a Harlem-bound boarding stop only.
The Green Line does not circle the Loop; it runs straight across the north and east sides.
Ashland/63rd and Garfield have Park and Ride lots.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Green Line run 24 hours?

No. Service runs from about 4 a.m. to about 1 a.m., with later starts on weekends.

Where does the Green Line split?

At Garfield. One branch goes east to Cottage Grove and the other goes west to Ashland/63rd.

How many stations are on the Green Line?

31: 27 on the main line plus two on each South Side branch.

What is the newest Green Line station?

Damen, on the Near West Side, which opened on August 5, 2024.

Which Green Line stop serves McCormick Place?

Cermak-McCormick Place.

Related guides

Sources

Last updated: October 31, 2026