Kimball station

Chicago "L" station

41°58′03″N 87°42′47″W / 41.967628°N 87.712934°W / 41.967628; -87.712934Owned byChicago Transit AuthorityLine(s)Ravenswood BranchPlatforms1 Island platform
1 Side platformTracks3ConstructionStructure typeAt-gradePlatform levels1Parking

73 spacesBicycle facilitiesYesAccessibleYesHistoryOpenedDecember 14, 1907; 116 years ago (1907-12-14)Rebuilt1974; 50 years ago (1974),
2006–2007; 17 years ago (2007) (renovated)Passengers2020495,434^[1]

58.9%Rank46 out of 143 Services

Preceding station	Chicago "L"			Following station
Terminus		Brown Line		Kedzie toward Loop (Washington/Wells)

Track layout

Legend

					Kimball Ave.
					Lawrence Ave.
					Brown ends




					Brown to the Loop

Location

Kimball is an 'L' station and 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 0.33 miles (0.53 km) away. During regular hours trains are scheduled to depart from Kimball every 7–10 minutes, and take about 33 minutes to reach the Loop.

The station and nearby Kimball Avenue are both named after Martin Kimbell, a 19th century farmer who owned land in the area that is today known as Logan Square.^[2]

There is an inside joke in the 1993 film The Fugitive when the main character Dr. Kimble boards a Kimball-Belmont 'L' train.

History

The original station at Kimball was constructed by the Northwestern Elevated Railroad and opened on December 14, 1907.^[3] This station was demolished and a new station built in its place in 1974. The newly opened station was used for filming for the 1975 film, Cooley High. The station has three tracks which are served by an island platform and a side platform; there is also a train storage yard and a workshop alongside the station.

Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project

Although Kimball Station was rebuilt in 1974 it was still upgraded as part of the Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project. The station closed from September 15, 2006^[4] to January 12, 2007.^[5] During this closure, the two platforms were extended to support eight railcars, and the station entrance was reconfigured to be accessible to passengers with disabilities.^[6]

Bus connections

CTA

81 Lawrence (Owl Service)
82 Kimball/Homan
93 California/Dodge (Monday–Saturday only)

References

^ "Annual Ridership Report – Calendar Year 2020" (PDF). Chicago Transit Authority, Ridership Analysis and Reporting. January 19, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
^ "Logan Square". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
^ Borzo, Greg (2007). The Chicago "L". Arcadia Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-7385-5100-5.
^ 2 Brown Line stations to close.^{[dead link]} Chicago Tribune, September 2, 2006
^ "CTA Announces Brown Line Kimball Station to Reopen January 12". Chicago Transit Authority. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008.
^ Kimball Station. CTA Countdown to a New Brown website (URL accessed September 2, 2006).