Green Line — Chicago 'L'
Harlem/Lake ↔ Ashland/63rd / Cottage Grove · 31 stations · every 8 minutes at rush hour
Above: Ashland station on the Green Line · photo edward stojakovic from Portland, OR, United States · CC BY 2.0
31
stations
66 min
end to end
8 min
at morning rush
Overnight break
service
About the Green Line
The Green Line is the ‘L”s oldest surviving route — parts of it have carried trains since 1892 — and the only one that is elevated for its entire length. It runs from Harlem/Lake in Oak Park, through the Loop, and then splits at Garfield into two southern branches: one to Ashland/63rd, the other to Cottage Grove.
That split matters when you board: trains alternate between the two branches, so south of Garfield check the destination on the front of the train. North of Garfield every train serves the same stations.
The Green Line has 31 stations and takes about 66 minutes end to end. 26 of its stations are step-free, and it meets another ‘L’ line at 7 of them.
Every Green Line station, in order
Times are the cumulative journey from the first station, using the CTA timetable. A gold dot marks a station where you can change to another line.
How often Green Line trains run
| When | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning 4:00–6:30 am | 12 min | 14 min | 14 min |
| Morning rush 6:30–9:30 am | 8 min | 12 min | 12 min |
| Midday 9:30 am–3:00 pm | 10 min | 10 min | 10 min |
| Afternoon rush 3:00–7:00 pm | 9 min | 10 min | 10 min |
| Evening 7:00–10:00 pm | 10 min | 10 min | 10 min |
| Late night 10:00 pm–4:00 am | 11 min | 11 min | 12 min |
Typical gap between trains in one direction, worked out from CTA's published timetable. Real gaps vary.
First and last Green Line train
| Station | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harlem/Lake | 3:45 am – 1:00 am | 4:48 am – 1:00 am | 4:48 am – 1:00 am |
| Oak Park | 24 h | 4:50 am – 2:04 am | 4:50 am – 2:04 am |
| Ridgeland | 24 h | 4:52 am – 2:03 am | 4:52 am – 2:03 am |
| Austin | 24 h | 4:54 am – 2:02 am | 4:54 am – 2:02 am |
| Central | 24 h | 4:56 am – 2:00 am | 4:56 am – 2:00 am |
| Laramie | 3:55 am – 1:59 am | 4:58 am – 1:59 am | 4:58 am – 1:59 am |
| Cicero | 3:57 am – 1:58 am | 5:00 am – 1:58 am | 5:00 am – 1:58 am |
| Pulaski | 3:59 am – 1:54 am | 5:02 am – 1:54 am | 5:02 am – 1:54 am |
| Conservatory | 4:01 am – 1:52 am | 5:04 am – 1:52 am | 5:04 am – 1:52 am |
| Kedzie | 4:03 am – 1:51 am | 5:06 am – 1:51 am | 5:06 am – 1:51 am |
| California | 4:04 am – 1:49 am | 5:07 am – 1:49 am | 5:07 am – 1:49 am |
| Damen | 4:07 am – 1:46 am | 5:10 am – 1:46 am | 5:10 am – 1:46 am |
| Ashland | 4:09 am – 1:45 am | 5:12 am – 1:45 am | 5:12 am – 1:45 am |
| Morgan | 4:11 am – 1:43 am | 5:14 am – 1:43 am | 5:14 am – 1:43 am |
| Clinton | 4:12 am – 1:42 am | 5:15 am – 1:42 am | 5:15 am – 1:42 am |
| Clark/Lake | 4:14 am – 1:39 am | 5:17 am – 1:39 am | 5:17 am – 1:39 am |
| Washington/Wabash | 4:17 am – 1:36 am | 5:20 am – 1:36 am | 5:20 am – 1:36 am |
| Adams/Wabash | 4:18 am – 1:35 am | 5:19 am – 1:35 am | 5:19 am – 1:35 am |
| Roosevelt | 4:16 am – 1:37 am | 5:16 am – 1:37 am | 5:16 am – 1:37 am |
| Cermak-McCormick Place | 4:12 am – 1:40 am | 5:12 am – 1:40 am | 5:12 am – 1:40 am |
| 35th-Bronzeville-IIT | 4:09 am – 1:45 am | 5:09 am – 1:45 am | 5:09 am – 1:45 am |
| Indiana | 4:06 am – 1:48 am | 5:06 am – 1:48 am | 5:06 am – 1:48 am |
| 43rd | 4:04 am – 1:50 am | 5:04 am – 1:50 am | 5:04 am – 1:50 am |
| 47th | 4:03 am – 1:51 am | 5:03 am – 1:51 am | 5:03 am – 1:51 am |
| 51st | 4:02 am – 1:53 am | 5:02 am – 1:53 am | 5:02 am – 1:53 am |
| Garfield | 4:00 am – 1:55 am | 5:00 am – 1:55 am | 5:00 am – 1:55 am |
| Halsted | 24 h | 4:54 am – 2:01 am | 4:54 am – 2:01 am |
| Ashland/63rd | 3:50 am – 12:54 am | 4:50 am – 12:54 am | 4:50 am – 12:54 am |
| King Drive | 4:12 am – 1:44 am | 5:12 am – 1:44 am | 5:12 am – 1:44 am |
| Cottage Grove | 4:10 am – 1:11 am | 5:10 am – 1:11 am | 5:10 am – 1:11 am |
Times are departures from that station, taken from CTA's timetable, and are the window in each direction combined.
Where you can change lines
Questions about the Green Line
31 stations, running Harlem/Lake to Ashland/63rd or Cottage Grove. End to end it takes about 66 minutes.
On weekdays the first trains leave around 3:45 am and the last around 1:59 am, varying by station — the further along the line, the later the last train passes. There is no overnight service; if you are out late, the Red and Blue lines run 24 hours. First and last train at every station.
$2.50, the same as every other ‘L’ line and the same however far you travel. Transfers to another line are free within two hours.
At 7 stations, including Ashland, Morgan, Clinton, Clark/Lake, Washington/Wabash, Adams/Wabash…. At all of them the change is inside the station: walk across, no second tap and no extra fare.
South of Garfield the Green Line splits. Trains alternate between Ashland/63rd and Cottage Grove, so check the destination on the front of the train before boarding. North of Garfield — including the whole Loop and the Lake Street stretch to Oak Park — every Green Line train stops everywhere.
State/Lake closed on 5 January 2026 to be rebuilt as a fully accessible station, and is due to reopen in 2029. Trains pass through without stopping. Use Washington/Wabash or Clark/Lake instead — both are step-free and both are a short walk away.