CHICAGO BUS AND STREETCAR ROUTES

ROUTES 10-19

Listed for each route are dates of first horse car, first cable car, first electric streetcar, and first bus service. Although the introduction of cable cars or electric streetcars on a route, did not necessarily mean the immediate total elimination of older horse cars or cable cars on all segments of that route.

Also listed are dates of final elimination of streetcars and conversion to buses. Although some routes used buses during weekends prior to the total elimination of streetcars. Some streetcar routes had bus extensions at one time, which usually are listed.

9/5/11 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
8/1/48 - south and north ends converted to buses, transferred to routes 49A and 49B

Route split into the present three separate routes 8/1/48, when buses replaced streetcars on south segment (route 49A) and on north segment (route 49B). Eventually, number 49, the local route number, was assigned to all Western service.

Carhouses: Archer/Division/Devon (until 5/4/47)
Archer/Devon (5/4/47-2/15/48)
Devon/69th St. (2/15/48-8/1/48)

1864 - horse car service introduced on Larrabee Ave.
1871 - horse car service introduced on Lincoln Ave.
1887 - horse car service introduced on Riverview segment
1889 - route split into separate segments, with Lincoln segment converted to cable car
1895 - horse car segments converted to electric streetcar
10/21/06 - through service restored via Lincoln Ave. as electric streetcar route
1/9/49 - Riverview segment converted to buses, transferred to route 98 Roscoe
2/18/51 - streetcar route converted to buses, renumbered route 10
9/9/73 - route consolidated into route 11 Lincoln

Previously route number 40. Variation of Lincoln route, operating via Larrabee Ave. between Chicago Ave. and Lincoln Ave., and branching west of Lincoln Ave. via Belmont, Damen, and Roscoe to Western Ave., near the old Riverview amusement park.

Owl service discontinued 9/9/72

Carhouse: Lincoln
Bus Garage: North Park

10/26/11 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
9/14/24 - Through Route discontinued

1871 - horse car service introduced
1889 - segment between downtown and Wrightwood Ave. converted to cable car
1894 - remaining horse car service converted to electric streetcar
10/21/06 - cable car segment converted to electric streetcar
3/11/51 - streetcar route converted to buses
4/26/98 - downtown service discontinued
1/2/2007 - combined with rush hour route 37, enabling downtown service then

Previously route number 38.

Carhouse: Lincoln
Bus Garage: North Park

6/26/11 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
9/14/24 - Through Route discontinued

1877 - horse car service introduced
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar, extended into downtown via Wells St.
9/6/50 - downtown service discontinued
8/12/51 - streetcar route converted to buses, shuttle car remains east of Michigan Ave.
4/12/53 - shuttle streetcar discontinued, as redundant to acquired CMC bus routes
5/24/53 - converted to trolleybuses
1/13/73 - trolleybuses replaced with motor buses

Owl service discontinued 4/26/98

Carhouse: Lawndale (until 8/12/51)
Cottage Grove (8/12/51-4/12/53)
Bus Garage: Lawndale (8/12/51-5/24/53)
Kedzie (5/24/53-9/2/79)
Lawndale (9/2/79-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-present)

12/13/11 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
1924 - Through Route discontinued

Operated between Waveland/Halsted and Cicero/Archer.

Route number assigned to former route 55, subsequently discontinued.

6/26/11 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
9/14/24 - Through Route discontinued

Operated between Kenton/Roosevelt and Diversey/Clark.

1892 - horse car service introduced
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar
1/27/13 - route extended west via 16th St.
7/25/48 - streetcar route converted to buses, separate from west 16th St. segment
3/9/55 - discontinued

Operated between Canal/Roosevelt and Damen/14th. Streetcar service operated through with west 16th St. service until converted to buses, with west 16th St. bus service operating further east via 18th St.

Carhouse: Blue Island
Bus Garage: Blue Island (7/25/48-1/16/55)
Lawndale (1/16/55-3/9/55)

Renumbering and restructuring of route 54A, later restructured again and renumbered back to route 54A.

1/24/82 - introduced by CTA as bus route 14 South Lake Shore Express
8/31/2003 - redesignated route 14 Jeffery Express, operating daily throughout day.

Originally supplemented route 6 Jeffery Express during rush hours, with route 6 operating via local route between 47th St. and 67th St. Inaugurated during a transit funding crisis, after fare increases on nearby Illinois Central electric commuter railroad resulted many in riders switching to CTA, resulting in overcrowding of route 6. This transit funding crisis affected CTA less severely than the commuter railroads and suburban bus systems. Effective 8/31/2003, service revised to operate all day, replacing all route 6 service south of 67th St.

Originally rush hours only
Midday/weekend service introduced 8/31/2003

Bus Garage: 52nd St. (1/24/82-4/24/83)
77th St. (4/24/83-6/26/88)
103rd St. (6/26/88-present)

8/31/2003 - introduced by CTA as bus route

Route provides direct supplementary service between portions of routes 6 and 14.

Bus Garage: 103rd St.

12/27/09 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
8/15/12 - Through Route discontinued

Operated between Marshall/21st and Diversey/Clark.

5/8/47 - introduced by CSL as bus route
1/24/82 - discontinued

Bus route operated between Navy Pier and Canal/Archer. Canal St. portion replaced a portion of Fulton-21st Street streetcar route, discontinued previous day.

Sunday service discontinued 6/26/49
Saturday service discontinued 6/18/61

Bus Garage: Archer

1859 - horse car service introduced
1890 - horse car route converted to air car
1891 - Cicero & Proviso introduces electric streetcar service west of Cicero Ave.
1896 - air car segment converted to electric streetcar
12/27/10 - Chicago Railways acquires Cicero and Proviso trackage in city of Chicago
1912 - Through Route streetcar introduced between downtown and Austin Blvd.
9/14/24 - Through Route adopted via State St. to 119th/Morgan
10/7/46 - Through Route discontinued on State St.
5/30/54 - streetcar route converted to buses
10/5/97 - discontinued

Segment west of Cicero Ave. originally owned by Cicero & Proviso Street Railway, extending as far west as 5th Ave. in Maywood under Cicero & Proviso Street Railway ownership. Austin Blvd. was established as the Chicago city limits in 1899, and on 12/27/10, segment east of Austin went to Chicago Railways, while segment west of Austin went to County Traction Co., later Chicago & West Towns Railways.

Carhouse: North Ave./77th St. (until 10/7/46)
North Ave. (10/7/46-12/3/50)
Kedzie (12/3/50-5/30/54)
Bus Garage: North Ave. (5/30/54-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-7/3/94)
Chicago Ave. (7/3/94-10/5/97)

10/5/12 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
12/4/49 - Through Route discontinued

Similar to route 52, except included extension on Kedzie Ave. north from Milwaukee Ave., opening 2/7/13 and eventually reaching Bryn Mawr Ave. Streetcar extension eliminated, replaced 12/4/49 by extending Homan bus route 82A further north. North Kedzie service eventually became route 89.

Carhouse: Kedzie

12/9/51 - introduced by CTA as bus route

Replaced Westchester extension of Garfield Park rapid transit line. Effective 6/22/58, Garfield Park line replaced with Congress line, utilizing median strip of Eisenhower Expressway, and continuing to terminate at Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park. From 12/9/51 to 2/22/59, buses housed at West Towns Bus Co. garage at Cermak/Harlem. CTA now operates service during weekday rush hours only, service during other periods now operated by Pace as route 317.

Owl service discontinued 9/7/76
Weekend service discontinued 2/2/92, replaced by Pace route 317
Midday service discontinued 4/26/98, replaced by Pace route 317

Bus Garage: West Towns Bus Co. (12/9/51-2/22/59)
Lawndale (2/22/59-12/4/60)
Kedzie (12/4/60-9/2/79)
North Ave. (9/2/79-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-present)

1/3/10 - Through Route streetcar introduced, supplementing existing service
7/3/33 - Through Route discontinued

Operated between Waveland/Halsted and Austin/Madison.

1886 - horse car service introduced on 18th St. segment
1896 - route converted to electric streetcar
1/27/13 - electric streetcar service introduced on 16th St., extending 14th St. route
1/25/48 - streetcar route converted to buses, 16th St. and 18th St. segments connected
When 16th St. segment opened, was routed through with established 14th St. segment. When routes were converted to buses effective, 16th St. and 18th St. segments were routed through.

Owl service discontinued 2/2/92
Midday service discontinued 4/26/98
Weekend service remains, substituting for Cermak Blue Line rapid transit

Carhouse: Blue Island
Bus Garage: Blue Island (7/25/48-1/16/55)
Lawndale (1/16/55-12/16/73)
Kedzie (12/16/73-9/2/79)
Lawndale (9/2/79-6/29/84)
Kedzie (6/29/84-9/7/86)
Lawndale (9/7/86-7/3/94)
Kedzie (7/3/94-present)

Proposed Through Route, never implemented.

12/5/60 - introduced by CTA as bus route
2/1/70 - discontinued

Operated via Kennedy Expressway between Logan Square station and Devon/Harlem. Discontinued upon opening of rapid transit extension to Jefferson Park.

Operated rush hours only

Bus Garage: Forest Glen

Most routes created as streetcar routes had "owl" service, or operated 24 hours a day. Most routes created as bus routes never had owl service. Owl service is mentioned, although dates of introduction are not available. Much of the owl service was eventually scaled back or discontinued. Not mentioned are situations where only a portion of a route has owl service, or where hours of service are different for different portions of a route. All routes have generally operated at least throughout the daytime, 7 days a week, unless noted.