Replacing Chicago "L" colors with letters... (Cicero, Skokie: train, design)

[Pink Jazz]

Currently, CTA uses colors to identify its rail lines. However, if there is ever a need to switch to letters due to being too many lines due to system expansion, I wonder, what letters would you assign the lines?

The lines can still use their existing colors on maps and signage to make them distinctive, however, here are my letter assignments for the rail lines:

• Red Line - D for Dan Ryan
• Blue Line - O for O'Hare
• Green Line - H for Harlem
• Pink Line - C for Cicero/Cermak
• Purple Line - L for Linden
• Orange Line - M for Midway
• Brown Line - K for Kimball
• Yellow Line - S for Skokie

What letters would you assign?

[NealIRC]

Yea, there's 2 Blue Lines, and there's 2 Green Lines.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Yea, there's 2 Blue Lines, and there's 2 Green Lines.

You are correct about the Green Line, but wasn't the other Blue Line service on the Douglas Branch replaced by the Pink Line, rerouting trains from the main Blue Line tracks to the Green Line tracks and the Loop via the Paulina Connector?

[NealIRC]

Ah yes.

And I think calling it the O line will just cause confusion on whether it's northbound and etc.

We're not about to have a lot of lines soon...

[beaniemac]

Originally Posted by NealIRC

Yea, there's 2 Blue Lines, and there's 2 Green Lines.

also, the redline terminates at howard, so why would you keep the D designation the entire way?

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by beaniemac

also, the redline terminates at howard, so why would you keep the D designation the entire way?

You have to pick between one terminus or the other. Since I am using H for the Green Line, that leaves D for the Red Line.

For the Blue Line, the alternate choice would be F for Forest Park, which wouldn't be any better as far as not causing confusion.

Just do what the NYC Subway does - D to Dan Ryan in one direction, D to Howard in the other. For the Blue Line, O to O'Hare in one direction, O to Forest Park in the other.

[FAReastcoast]

Why on earth would CTA rename all of the train lines from Colors (which are the easiest way to identify a rail line) to a letter scheme?

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by fareastcoast

why on earth would cta rename all of the train lines from colors (which are the easiest way to identify a rail line) to a letter scheme?

+1

[K 22]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Currently, CTA uses colors to identify its rail lines. However, if there is ever a need to switch to letters due to being too many lines due to system expansion, I wonder, what letters would you assign the lines?

The lines can still use their existing colors on maps and signage to make them distinctive, however, here are my letter assignments for the rail lines:

• Red Line - D for Dan Ryan
• Blue Line - O for O'Hare
• Green Line - H for Harlem
• Pink Line - C for Cicero/Cermak
• Purple Line - L for Linden
• Orange Line - M for Midway
• Brown Line - K for Kimball
• Yellow Line - S for Skokie

What letters would you assign?

Actually, LA is planning on doing this in the near future. What they're going to do is start with 'A' for their oldest line and continue up the alphabet from oldest line to newest.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

Why on earth would CTA rename all of the train lines from Colors (which are the easiest way to identify a rail line) to a letter scheme?

If there is any expansion of the system in the future and CTA runs out of colors.