Purple Line (CTA)

The Purple Line of the Chicago "L" is a 3.9-mile (6.3 km) route on the northernmost section of the system. The service begins from Linden station in Wilmette, north of Chicago, and ends at Howard station in the Rogers Park neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, along the way making various stops at stations in the city of Evanston.

During weekday morning and afternoon rush hours, the Purple Line extends another 10.3 miles (16.6 km) south on the North Side Main Line, making its entire run in rush hour from Howard to Downtown Chicago. During these periods, the line runs express from Howard to Wilson, then express from Wilson to Belmont, then making all local stops from Belmont to the Loop. The express service is known as the Purple Line Express (or the Evanston Express).

In 2024, the average weekday boardings on the Purple Line was 4,904. It is the shortest route in the CTA rail system except during weekday peaks and rush hours.

Prior to the color-coding of CTA rail lines in 1993, the Purple Line was known as the Evanston Line, Evanston Service or Evanston Shuttle, and the Purple Line Express was called the Evanston Express.

The Purple Line is useful for reaching Northwestern University (Foster and Noyes stops in Evanston), including the sports facilities Ryan Field, Rocky Miller Park, Welsh-Ryan Arena, and Canal Shores Golf Course — all at the Central stop — and the Bahá'í House of Worship at Linden. The selection of purple as the line's color was likely from Northwestern's official school color.