CTA Red Line: Route, Stations and Guide

The CTA Red Line runs 24 hours a day, every day, between Howard on the North Side and 95th/Dan Ryan on the South Side. It has 33 stations and goes through downtown in the State Street subway. It is the CTA’s busiest line, with nearly 40 million passengers in 2024.

Fact	Red Line
Terminals	Howard (north) and 95th/Dan Ryan (south)
Stations	33
Length	About 26 miles
Hours	24 hours a day, every day
Downtown route	State Street subway (Lake, Monroe, Jackson stations)
Main transfers	Howard (Purple, Yellow), Belmont and Fullerton (Brown, Purple Express), Roosevelt (Green, Orange), Lake and Jackson (Loop lines and Blue)
Under construction	Red Line Extension to 130th Street, expected 2030

Route overview

From Howard at the city’s northern edge, the Red Line runs south on an elevated structure through Rogers Park, Edgewater, Uptown, Lake View and Lincoln Park. After Fullerton it enters the State Street subway, which opened on October 17, 1943, and runs under Clybourn Avenue, Division Street and State Street through River North, the Loop and the South Loop.

South of downtown the line runs in the median of the Dan Ryan Expressway to 95th Street. That nine-mile section opened on September 28, 1969.

Hours and service

CTA lists Red Line service at all times, every day, between Howard and 95th/Dan Ryan. The Red Line and the Blue Line are the only two L lines that run around the clock.

Stations, north to south

#	Station	Area	Transfers and notes
1	Howard		Purple, Yellow
2	Jarvis	Rogers Park
3	Morse
4	Loyola	Loyola University
5	Granville
6	Thorndale
7	Bryn Mawr	Edgewater
8	Berwyn
9	Argyle	Little Vietnam
10	Lawrence	Uptown
11	Wilson		Purple Express (rush periods)
12	Sheridan	Buena Park
13	Addison	Wrigleyville
14	Belmont	Lake View	Brown, Purple Express (rush periods)
15	Fullerton	Lincoln Park	Brown, Purple Express (rush periods)
16	North/Clybourn
17	Clark/Division	Gold Coast
18	Chicago	Magnificent Mile
19	Grand	River North
20	Lake	The Loop	Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple at State/Lake (closed into 2029); Blue at Washington with farecard
21	Monroe	The Loop
22	Jackson	The Loop	Blue; Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple at Harold Washington Library with farecard
23	Harrison	South Loop
24	Roosevelt	Near South Side	Green, Orange
25	Cermak-Chinatown	Chinatown
26	Sox-35th	Armour Square	Metra Rock Island at 35th Street/Lou Jones
27	47th	Fuller Park
28	Garfield	Canaryville
29	63rd	Englewood
30	69th	Greater Grand Crossing
31	79th	Chatham
32	87th
33	95th/Dan Ryan	Roseland

Notable stations and what is near them

Addison: the Wrigleyville stop. See Wrigleyville.
Fullerton: serves Lincoln Park and is a cross-platform transfer to the Brown Line.
Clark/Division: the Gold Coast stop.
Chicago and Grand: subway stops for the Magnificent Mile and River North.
Lake, Monroe and Jackson: the three subway stops under State Street in the Loop.
Cermak-Chinatown: the Chinatown stop.
Sox-35th: in Armour Square, with a connection to Metra’s Rock Island line at 35th Street/Lou Jones.
95th/Dan Ryan: the South Side terminal and future starting point of the Red Line Extension.

Transfers

Howard: Purple Line and Yellow Line.
Wilson: Purple Line Express during rush periods.
Belmont and Fullerton: Brown Line and Purple Line Express (rush periods).
Lake: connections to the Loop elevated lines and to the Blue Line at Washington, with a farecard.
Jackson: Blue Line, and Loop elevated lines at Harold Washington Library with a farecard.
Roosevelt: Green and Orange lines.
Sox-35th: Metra Rock Island line at 35th Street/Lou Jones.

Projects on the Red Line

The Red and Purple Modernization program rebuilt the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations, which reopened in July 2025 as fully accessible stations. Phase One cost $2.1 billion and also included the Red-Purple Bypass north of Belmont, completed in 2021, and a new signal system between Howard and Belmont.

The Red Line Extension will add 5.5 miles of track south from 95th/Dan Ryan to a new terminal at 130th Street. It adds four accessible stations at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street. The project is budgeted at $5.7 billion, broke ground on April 24, 2026, and is expected to open in 2030.

Tips for riding the Red Line

Use the Red Line for Wrigleyville, Lincoln Park, the Gold Coast, River North, the Loop and Chinatown.
For rush-hour trips between Howard and the Loop, the Purple Line Express is an option on weekdays.
The Red Line has no direct airport service; switch to the Blue Line for O’Hare or the Orange Line for Midway.
Eating and drinking are not allowed on CTA trains; violations of the Rules of Conduct carry fines of at least $300.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Red Line run 24 hours?

Yes. CTA lists Red Line service at all times, every day, between Howard and 95th/Dan Ryan.

How many stations are on the Red Line?

The Red Line has 33 stations, from Howard to 95th/Dan Ryan. Four more are being built as part of the Red Line Extension.

Which Red Line stop is closest to Wrigley Field?

Addison, which serves Wrigleyville.

Does the Red Line go to the airport?

No. Transfer to the Blue Line for O’Hare or to the Orange Line at Roosevelt for Midway.

When will the Red Line Extension open?

Construction began on April 24, 2026, and the extension to 130th Street is expected to open in 2030.

Related guides

Sources

Last updated: October 31, 2026