CTA 'L' Rosters

[Sam92]

15 hours ago, Shannon tahoeppv said:

Yea we getting em back on the blueline now 

 

18 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

Management is still dragging onto these 2600s… 

 

22 hours ago, Shannon tahoeppv said:

We have some more 2600's back in the blue line from the orange line 2627 is in the shop 2735 is in the north yard the hold track area of the yard which the shop boss last night said their gonna be about for a bit 

I get holding on to 2600s because of production issues but why move them back to a busier line that wears them down faster? Also since these are super old cars best to keep them on a line that can ship them back and forth to Skokie when needed vs the hassle of bringing them back and forth from the blue

[artthouwill]

44 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

 

 

I get holding on to 2600s because of production issues but why move them back to a busier line that wears them down faster? Also since these are super old cars best to keep them on a line that can ship them back and forth to Skokie when needed vs the hassle of bringing them back and forth from the blue

The question is why move 3200s to the Brown Line  now?  

Moving a small amount of 2600s to Blue can make sense if they are primarily stored in the yard and uses occasionally.   Perhaps being on the Orange line or Brown Line would subject them to more revenue service.   The Blue Line is still predominately 7000s and 3200s  with a few 2600s sprinkled in. 

[Sam92]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The question is why move 3200s to the Brown Line  now?  

Moving a small amount of 2600s to Blue can make sense if they are primarily stored in the yard and uses occasionally.   Perhaps being on the Orange line or Brown Line would subject them to more revenue service.   The Blue Line is still predominately 7000s and 3200s  with a few 2600s sprinkled in. 

You might have answered your own question about Brown. You got a point about them getting rest on the blue since it has newer types but Brown is the next busiest so it doesn't hurt to try and throw them some 3200s to stay out midday and give some Kimball 2600s a break too. 

[Bus1883]

2 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The question is why move 3200s to the Brown Line  now?  

Moving a small amount of 2600s to Blue can make sense if they are primarily stored in the yard and uses occasionally.   Perhaps being on the Orange line or Brown Line would subject them to more revenue service.   The Blue Line is still predominately 7000s and 3200s  with a few 2600s sprinkled in. 

Especially we got them going back to brown before the last of the lingering 2600s are removed.

[Elkmn]

3 hours ago, artthouwill said:

The question is why move 3200s to the Brown Line  now? 

My educated guess is because the 2600s on the brown line are on the verge of death, and they want "newer" material that hasn't been "blessed" by Kimball yard.

[Bus1883]

12 hours ago, Elkmn said:

My educated guess is because the 2600s on the brown line are on the verge of death, and they want "newer" material that hasn't been "blessed" by Kimball yard.

I still don’t see why u still have a small number of 2600s down there and then they’re removing the 3200s first before the last of them especially when you have only 14-16 cars left as they are older… those should be the ones removed first as it makes more sense to put it that way.
 

They don’t really need those cars as there should be enough 3200s and 7000s to cover service needs until the deliveries resume again. Those brown line 2600s run better than the lingering blue line ones. Once they are finally off blue those cars are more than likely to end up stored in yards across the system awaiting to bite the dust along with the rest that’s retired.

[Sam92]

1 hour ago, Bus1883 said:

I still don’t see why u still have a small number of 2600s down there and then they’re removing the 3200s first before the last of them especially when you have only 14-16 cars left as they are older… those should be the ones removed first as it makes more sense to put it that way.
 

They don’t really need those cars as there should be enough 3200s and 7000s to cover service needs until the deliveries resume again. Those brown line 2600s run better than the lingering blue line ones. Once they are finally off blue those cars are more than likely to end up stored in yards across the system awaiting to bite the dust along with the rest that’s retired.

It's like @artthouwillsaid: The Blue Line has 14-16 cars so those probably only get whipped out in emergency so it's safe to keep them there since they won't be used unless the yard is short. Moving some 3200s to Brown allows the same because the brown is also busy so however many 3200s just moved to Brown means more 2600s they don't have to maintain since they are only used as needed. We already know parts get more expensive and hard to find as equipment gets older but just like the pandemic is slowing 7000 production it's also making those harder to find parts even HARDER to find so they're trying to avoid touching them at this point lol

[garmon757]

More 3200s have been transferred from the Blue Line as 3209-10, 3211-12, 3279-80, 3293-94, 3337-38, 3355-56, and 3365-66 are now current on the Brown Line. 

[Elkmn]

Is 2979 & 3112 a new move to the blue line? I think I saw it on the brown recently.

Edited December 30, 2025 by Elkmn
Just clarifying

[Bus1883]

22 minutes ago, Elkmn said:

Is 2979 & 3112 a new move to the blue line? I think I saw it on the brown recently.

They are still on blue

[Bus1883]

2645-46, 2975-76 are currently at 63rd upper yard a few more Brown line 2600s are there just can’t confirm the rest

[Elkmn]

3 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

They are still on blue

oh no i was saying that i thought it was a recent move to the blue, I was on 2979 today! 

[garmon757]

3205-06 is currently on the Brown Line.

[Javi75]

On 11/17/2025 at 11:31 PM, Miro said:

Here's an MMIS assignment report I received from a FOIA request, as well as lifecycle info in a spreadsheet.

FOIA_Railcars.xlsx 55.91 kB · 111 downloads FOIA_MMIS.pdf 81.1 kB · 131 downloads

From viewing the second document of railcar assignments, if all of the blues lines 7000s are Rosemont yard, wouldn’t every 7000s run number be a 100 run? Does anything on the blue line with a 200 run mean Desplaines Yard operation? I’ve seen a few 7000s trains with a 200 run. 

[Sam92]

2 hours ago, Javi75 said:

From viewing the second document of railcar assignments, if all of the blues lines 7000s are Rosemont yard, wouldn’t every 7000s run number be a 100 run? Does anything on the blue line with a 200 run mean Desplaines Yard operation? I’ve seen a few 7000s trains with a 200 run. 

I think it depends what's waiting at the terminal. Bus operators keep their bus during the whole piece but every time a train arrives, an operator finishing layover takes over the set while the arriving operator goes on layover. Then when THAT guys layover is done he takes over the next set to arrive.... SOMETHING along those lines; I think purple and yellow operators DO keep the same train. So if Desplaines operator  arrives at O'Hare and the next train that comes in is a 7000s series when he's ready for another trip that's how it happens. Otherwise terminals would clog waiting for a Forest Park train for a Forest Park operator to take. Ride Red or Blue to the end; make sure you hop back on the same trip you'll notice the train might arrive with 907 but leave with 819

[Sam92]

5 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

I think it depends what's waiting at the terminal. Bus operators keep their bus during the whole piece but every time a train arrives, an operator finishing layover takes over the set while the arriving operator goes on layover. Then when THAT guys layover is done he takes over the next set to arrive.... SOMETHING along those lines; I think purple and yellow operators DO keep the same train. So if Desplaines operator  arrives at O'Hare and the next train that comes in is a 7000s series when he's ready for another trip that's how it happens. Otherwise terminals would clog waiting for a Forest Park train for a Forest Park operator to take. Clear as mud right?

 

1 hour ago, Javi75 said:

From viewing the second document of railcar assignments, if all of the blues lines 7000s are Rosemont yard, wouldn’t every 7000s run number be a 100 run? Does anything on the blue line with a 200 run mean Desplaines Yard operation? I’ve seen a few 7000s trains with a 200 run. 

Also the Blues from 54th keep the same train during their trip on Blue. Then after returning to 54th the train is put up while those operators take a Pink Line set for the rest of the run however that works. 

[Bus1883]

24 minutes ago, Sam92 said:

I think it depends what's waiting at the terminal. Bus operators keep their bus during the whole piece but every time a train arrives, an operator finishing layover takes over the set while the arriving operator goes on layover. Then when THAT guys layover is done he takes over the next set to arrive.... SOMETHING along those lines; I think purple and yellow operators DO keep the same train. So if Desplaines operator  arrives at O'Hare and the next train that comes in is a 7000s series when he's ready for another trip that's how it happens. Otherwise terminals would clog waiting for a Forest Park train for a Forest Park operator to take. Ride Red or Blue to the end; make sure you hop back on the same trip you'll notice the train might arrive with 907 but leave with 819

90% of the time operators jump trains. Hardly I ever witness a train keep the same run number 

[Sam92]

11 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

90% of the time operators jump trains. Hardly I ever witness a train keep the same run number 

Yeah the headways are shorter than the layover so all hell would break loose trying to keep the same consist lmao

13 hours ago, Javi75 said:

 Does anything on the blue line with a 200 run mean Desplaines Yard operation? I’ve seen a few 7000s trains with a 200 run. 

Yeah all the run numbers are based out of the Terminal the Operator comes from but in order to keep things running smoothly you take whatever is waiting when your departure comes whether the consist is from Rosemont or Desplaines. Desplaines even does some UIC runs. I assumed all of those would be Rosemont till I saw the map

[Javi75]

15 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

90% of the time operators jump trains. Hardly I ever witness a train keep the same run number 

 

4 hours ago, Sam92 said:

Yeah the headways are shorter than the layover so all hell would break loose trying to keep the same consist lmao

Yeah all the run numbers are based out of the Terminal the Operator comes from but in order to keep things running smoothly you take whatever is waiting when your departure comes whether the consist is from Rosemont or Desplaines. Desplaines even does some UIC runs. I assumed all of those would be Rosemont till I saw the map

Thank you for clearing that up! As far as railcar assignments, whenever 7000s production resumes, they’d fully equip Rosemont with 7000s before deplanes gets any 7000s? Just out of curiosity when the red line was being equipped with 5000s, did fill one yard up with all 5000s before assigning 5000s to the other yard? 

[Sam92]

56 minutes ago, Javi75 said:

 

Thank you for clearing that up! As far as railcar assignments, whenever 7000s production resumes, they’d fully equip Rosemont with 7000s before deplanes gets any 7000s? Just out of curiosity when the red line was being equipped with 5000s, did fill one yard up with all 5000s before assigning 5000s to the other yard? 

I think they did Howard first. I don't remember play by play but some went to Red, then they took a break at the 5400s to assign those to Purple. Then back to Red I think. I remember it wasn't too long after the reopening that you really started running into more 5000s than 2600s; heck some weekends they got away with nothing but 5000s even during the reroute. I don't remember who got 5000s first on the Green Line but pretty sure it was Harlem.

[Sam92]

1 hour ago, Javi75 said:

 

Thank you for clearing that up! As far as railcar assignments, whenever 7000s production resumes, they’d fully equip Rosemont with 7000s before deplanes gets any 7000s? 

Probably once one yard gets filled it either pushes displaced cars to the other yard or new deliveries go straight there. Going by assignments between 98th and Howard looks like Rosemont probably is gonna send the 7000s they have to Forest Park and keep the new deliveries that come in. 

[Bus1883]

2911-12 currently on blue

[garmon757]

5 hours ago, Bus1883 said:

2911-12 currently on blue

Ahhhh my favorite speed demon to operate!!!

[chicagomusicfan]

I am curious about the 5000s assigned to the blue line from 54th yard. Outside of rush periods, do those cars operate on the pink? It seems there are 20 cars assigned there, which doesn't add up with 8 car consists. Does anyone know if the long-term plan is to keep using 5000s during rush on blue, or is this temporary while we wait more 7000s? 

[Elkmn]

59 minutes ago, chicagomusicfan said:

Does anyone know if the long-term plan is to keep using 5000s during rush on blue, or is this temporary while we wait more 7000s? 

I think this is a thing they've done for a while, before the 7000s were in service (in april it will have been 5 years since the 7Ks entered revenue testing!!)