East 63rd branch - Wikipedia

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East 63rd branch
The East 63rd branch terminates at Cottage Grove.
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Termini	King Drive Cottage Grove
Stations	2
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Chicago "L"
Services	Green
Operator(s)	Chicago Transit Authority (1947–present) Chicago Rapid Transit Company (1924–1947) South Side Elevated Railroad (1893–1924)
Rolling stock	5000-series
Daily ridership	1,427 (average weekday 2019)
History
Opened	1893
Technical
Line length	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Character	Elevated
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification	Third rail, 600 V DC
Route map Legend South Side Elevated to the Loop 61st 61st Yard Lower 63rd Yard King Drive Cottage Grove University Dorchester ME & South Shore Line Jackson Park Jackson Park This diagram: view talk edit

The East 63rd branch, formerly known as the Jackson Park branch, is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long branch of the Chicago "L" operated as part the Green Line by the Chicago Transit Authority, serving the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

The first station on the East 63rd branch, 61st Street, opened January 22, 1893. Service was extended to Madison Avenue (later renamed Dorchester) on April 23, 1893, and to Jackson Park on May 12, 1893, to serve the World's Columbian Exposition, which was held in Jackson Park. On October 31, 1893, the World's Columbian Exposition ended and the Jackson Park station was closed. Stony Island was then made the terminus and was renamed Jackson Park.

On March 4, 1982, structural defects in the Jackson Park branch's bridge over the Illinois Central Railroad forced its closure south of the 61st street stop. When the branch reopened on December 12, 1982, service was only restored as far as the University stop. On January 9, 1994, the Green Line closed for renovation. When the line reopened on May 12, 1996, the Cottage Grove stop was the new terminal, and the Jackson Park branch was renamed the East 63rd branch. On September 27, 1997, the portion of the branch east of Cottage Grove was demolished with less than 24 hours public notice.^[1]