Pink Line — Chicago 'L'
54th/Cermak · 22 stations · every 8 minutes at rush hour
Above: 54th/Cermak station on the Pink Line · photo Jacob G. from Chicago, Ilinois, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
22
stations
36 min
end to end
8 min
at morning rush
Overnight break
service
About the Pink Line
The Pink Line is the newest colour on the map, created in 2006 out of the old Douglas branch. It runs from 54th/Cermak in Cicero, through Pilsen and Little Village, then up the Paulina Connector to join the Green Line’s tracks into the Loop.
It is the quiet way into downtown from the west side, and the way to reach Pilsen’s murals and restaurants at 18th.
The Pink Line has 22 stations and takes about 36 minutes end to end. 19 of its stations are step-free, and it meets another ‘L’ line at 10 of them.
Every Pink 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 Pink Line trains run
| When | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning 4:00–6:30 am | 15 min | 15 min | 15 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 | 12 min |
| Afternoon rush 3:00–7:00 pm | 8 min | 10 min | 10 min |
| Evening 7:00–10:00 pm | 10 min | 12 min | 12 min |
| Late night 10:00 pm–4:00 am | 12 min | 12 min | 14 min |
Typical gap between trains in one direction, worked out from CTA's published timetable. Real gaps vary.
First and last Pink Line train
| Station | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54th/Cermak | 4:00 am – 1:00 am | 5:00 am – 1:00 am | 5:00 am – 1:00 am |
| Cicero | 4:02 am – 2:00 am | 5:02 am – 2:00 am | 5:02 am – 2:00 am |
| Kostner | 4:04 am – 1:57 am | 5:04 am – 1:57 am | 5:04 am – 1:57 am |
| Pulaski | 4:05 am – 1:55 am | 5:05 am – 1:55 am | 5:05 am – 1:55 am |
| Central Park | 4:07 am – 1:54 am | 5:07 am – 1:54 am | 5:07 am – 1:54 am |
| Kedzie | 4:08 am – 1:53 am | 5:08 am – 1:53 am | 5:08 am – 1:53 am |
| California | 4:09 am – 1:51 am | 5:09 am – 1:51 am | 5:09 am – 1:51 am |
| Western | 4:11 am – 1:50 am | 5:11 am – 1:50 am | 5:11 am – 1:50 am |
| Damen | 4:12 am – 1:49 am | 5:12 am – 1:49 am | 5:12 am – 1:49 am |
| 18th | 4:14 am – 1:46 am | 5:14 am – 1:46 am | 5:14 am – 1:46 am |
| Polk | 4:16 am – 1:44 am | 5:16 am – 1:44 am | 5:16 am – 1:44 am |
| Ashland | 4:20 am – 1:41 am | 5:20 am – 1:41 am | 5:20 am – 1:41 am |
| Morgan | 4:22 am – 1:39 am | 5:22 am – 1:39 am | 5:22 am – 1:39 am |
| Clinton | 4:23 am – 1:38 am | 5:23 am – 1:38 am | 5:23 am – 1:38 am |
| Clark/Lake | 4:26 am – 1:26 am | 5:26 am – 1:26 am | 5:26 am – 1:26 am |
| Washington/Wabash | 4:28 am – 1:28 am | 5:28 am – 1:28 am | 5:28 am – 1:28 am |
| Adams/Wabash | 4:29 am – 1:29 am | 5:29 am – 1:29 am | 5:29 am – 1:29 am |
| Harold Washington Library-State/Van Buren | 4:31 am – 1:31 am | 5:31 am – 1:31 am | 5:31 am – 1:31 am |
| LaSalle/Van Buren | 4:32 am – 1:32 am | 5:32 am – 1:32 am | 5:32 am – 1:32 am |
| Quincy/Wells | 4:33 am – 1:33 am | 5:33 am – 1:33 am | 5:33 am – 1:33 am |
| Washington/Wells | 4:35 am – 1:35 am | 5:35 am – 1:35 am | 5:35 am – 1:35 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 Pink Line
22 stations, running 54th/Cermak. End to end it takes about 36 minutes.
On weekdays the first trains leave around 4:00 am and the last around 2:00 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 10 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.
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.