В Эванстоне возобновили обсуждение расширения желтой линии CTA для развития транспортной инфраструктуры

It is well documented that railroads were a driving force behind Chicago’s explosive growth. The railroads’ effect on nearby Evanston, while less known, was transformative in its own right.  Now, this is by no means a comprehensive history. Evanston has been shaped by much more than its transit networks, including social movements and forces like segregation and persistent economic inequality. In 1853, 360 acres of land became available on a planned stop of the new Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad in Ridgeville, what is now Evanston. The location was selected as the site of Northwestern University, cementing a connection to Chicago that would be essential to both the University and the city’s future.  Evanston was officially incorporated as a town in 1863, after NU was founded. When the Great Chicago Fire struck in 1871, thousands of well-to-do Chicagoans built homes in Evanston, in part because of the community’s proximity and rail connection to the city. An influx of servants and tradesmen moved with them. Evanston later grew rapidly as one of the region’s early streetcar suburbs, served by an expanding rail network. The North Shore Line, an interurban railroad, ran through the city on its route to Waukegan and later Milwaukee.  The Northwestern Elevated Railroad, a predecessor to today’s “L,” extended service into Evanston in the early 1900s. This name was something of a misnomer: the Northwestern Elevated Railroad wasn’t actually elevated in Evanston when it first welcomed passengers, running at ground level instead.   These train lines again facilitated development. During the first few decades of the 20th century, improved transit access to Chicago’s Loop helped fuel a building boom of large apartments. Now, Evanston remains unusually well connected by rail for a Chicago suburb, boasting two passenger rail lines: the Chicago Transit Authority’s Purple Line and the Metra. But this transportation system is far from perfect. In recent years, transit advocates have pushed for expanded and more reliable service.  One issue has emerged as a particular concern: The CTA’s Yellow Line, which runs between Skokie and the Howard station in Rogers Park, once had several stops in South Evanston. In recent years, advocates and some Evanston officials have renewed calls to expand the Yellow Line’s service by reopening these stops, arguing that an infill station could make existing rail infrastructure more useful to the city’s residents.  The idea of transit-oriented development has increasingly dominated discussions about Evanston’s future, as officials consider how to encourage new housing and commercial growth around the city’s transit network. Related Stories:  — Evanston transit advocates support Yellow Line extension — Opinion | The Purple Line, Chicago’s most distant connection — CTA modernization project sparks calls for accessibility