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Belmont (CTA Brown Line)
Encyclopedia
Belmont is an 'L'
station serving the Chicago Transit Authority
's Red
and Brown
lines, and also the Purple Line Express
during weekday rush hours. It is located at 945 West Belmont Avenue
in the Lakeview
neighborhood of Chicago
(directional coordinates 3200 north, 1000 west). It is an elevated station with two island platforms serving four tracks; Brown and Purple Line trains share the outer tracks while Red Line trains run on the inner tracks. Along with residential areas, the neighborhood surrounding Belmont contains many eclectic shops, bars, and restaurants and active nightlife. The station is one of the more heavily-utilized on the system serving as a busy transfer point, and also as a terminal when the Brown Line operates as a truncated shuttle service to and from Kimball
late at night and early in the morning.
Belmont was opened on May 31, 1900 as part of the Northwestern Elevated Railroad
. The station had two island platforms elevated on a steel structure with tracks on either side. Following construction of the Ravenswood branch (now part of today's Brown Line
, a bridge was constructed connecting the two platforms to allow transfers from southbound services to northbound trains on the branch. The station house was located on the south side of Belmont and contained several turnstile
s as well as a customer assistant booth. Beyond the turnstiles was a small caged area leading to stairs; the west staircase led to the southbound platform and the east staircase to the northbound platform. Prior to 1963 there was also a side platform on the west side of Track 1 (the westernmost track), which was used exclusively by the southbound trains of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
.
Starting in 2006, and slated for completion in 2009, Belmont station underwent major renovation and reconstruction as part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project. The original station house was renovated and relocated to the north side of Belmont Avenue, a new station house will be constructed and the platforms will be replaced and widened with new canopies added. The station will also become accessible to those with disabilities through the installation of elevator
s. Because of its importance, the station remained open throughout the entire project unlike other stations which were temporarily closed for periods lasting from a few weekends to several months. During reconstruction the station was accessed from a more modern, temporary structure adjacent to and east of the original entry. The staging area and job offices for the project are located just north of the Belmont station.
Construction of support systems for the project and demolition of adjacent structures started in 2006, although this was not without controversy. Several businesses in the area were forcefully evicted so their property could be used for construction, leading to some ill-will towards the CTA amongst area residents.
Part of the staging for the reconstruction of the Belmont station required the temporary use of three tracks instead of the usual four. The Three-track operation concluded at Belmont on the morning of December 20, 2008. The project's Full Funding Grant Agreement with the federal government requires that the CTA complete the project by the end of 2009. Elevators were placed into service on December 29, 2009 for customers with disabilities.
video game Counter-Strike: Source
, the Belmont 'L' Station is vaguely represented in the level "cs_assault."
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
station serving the Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
's Red
Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The northern terminus of the Red Line is Howard Street in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago , on the City Limits farthest north. The Red Line extends southeasterly on an elevated embankment structure about a half-mile west of the lakefront to Touhy Avenue then turns south along Glenwood...
and Brown
Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Brown Line starts out in northwest Chicago, at the Kimball and Lawrence Avenue terminal in Albany Park, where there is a storage yard and servicing shop for the trains to the east of the passenger station...
lines, and also the Purple Line Express
Purple Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Purple Line of the Chicago Transit Authority is a branch line on the northernmost section of the Chicago 'L' rapid transit network. Normally, it extends south from the Wilmette terminal at Linden Avenue, passing through Evanston to Howard Street, on Chicago's northern city limits...
during weekday rush hours. It is located at 945 West Belmont Avenue
Belmont Avenue (Chicago)
Belmont Avenue is a major east-west street on the North Side of Chicago. Belmont is a central commercial street in Lakeview and, west of the North Branch of the Chicago River, Avondale...
in the Lakeview
Lakeview, Chicago
Lake View, or Lakeview, is one of the 77 community area of the Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's North Side. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and the shore of Lake Michigan on the east...
neighborhood of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(directional coordinates 3200 north, 1000 west). It is an elevated station with two island platforms serving four tracks; Brown and Purple Line trains share the outer tracks while Red Line trains run on the inner tracks. Along with residential areas, the neighborhood surrounding Belmont contains many eclectic shops, bars, and restaurants and active nightlife. The station is one of the more heavily-utilized on the system serving as a busy transfer point, and also as a terminal when the Brown Line operates as a truncated shuttle service to and from Kimball
Kimball (CTA)
Kimball is the 'L' station at the terminus of the CTA's Brown Line. It is located in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. From Kimball trains run south and then east to Kedzie, which is about one third of a mile away...
late at night and early in the morning.
The first station
Northwestern Elevated Railroad
The Northwestern Elevated Railroad was the last of the privately constructed rapid transit lines to be built in Chicago, Illinois. The line ran from the Loop in downtown Chicago north to Wilson Avenue in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood a with branch to Ravenswood and Albany Park that left the main...
. The station had two island platforms elevated on a steel structure with tracks on either side. Following construction of the Ravenswood branch (now part of today's Brown Line
Brown Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Brown Line starts out in northwest Chicago, at the Kimball and Lawrence Avenue terminal in Albany Park, where there is a storage yard and servicing shop for the trains to the east of the passenger station...
, a bridge was constructed connecting the two platforms to allow transfers from southbound services to northbound trains on the branch. The station house was located on the south side of Belmont and contained several turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s as well as a customer assistant booth. Beyond the turnstiles was a small caged area leading to stairs; the west staircase led to the southbound platform and the east staircase to the northbound platform. Prior to 1963 there was also a side platform on the west side of Track 1 (the westernmost track), which was used exclusively by the southbound trains of the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, often called the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad line that operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until its abandonment in 1963.- Early history :...
.
Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s. Because of its importance, the station remained open throughout the entire project unlike other stations which were temporarily closed for periods lasting from a few weekends to several months. During reconstruction the station was accessed from a more modern, temporary structure adjacent to and east of the original entry. The staging area and job offices for the project are located just north of the Belmont station.
Construction of support systems for the project and demolition of adjacent structures started in 2006, although this was not without controversy. Several businesses in the area were forcefully evicted so their property could be used for construction, leading to some ill-will towards the CTA amongst area residents.
Part of the staging for the reconstruction of the Belmont station required the temporary use of three tracks instead of the usual four. The Three-track operation concluded at Belmont on the morning of December 20, 2008. The project's Full Funding Grant Agreement with the federal government requires that the CTA complete the project by the end of 2009. Elevators were placed into service on December 29, 2009 for customers with disabilities.
Miscellaneous
In the popular online first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source is an FPS video game developed by Valve Corporation. It is a complete remake of Counter-Strike using the Source game engine. As in the original, Counter-Strike: Source pits a team of counter-terrorists against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds...
, the Belmont 'L' Station is vaguely represented in the level "cs_assault."
Bus connections
CTA-
#77 Belmont (Owl Service)