Yellow Line — Chicago 'L'
Dempster-Skokie ↔ Howard · 3 stations · every 11 minutes at rush hour
Above: Oakton-Skokie station on the Yellow Line · photo Jacob G. from Chicago, Ilinois, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
3
stations
9 min
end to end
11 min
at morning rush
Overnight break
service
About the Yellow Line
The Yellow Line — everyone calls it the Skokie Swift — is the shortest line on the ‘L’: three stations and a nine-minute ride between Dempster-Skokie and Howard, where you change to the Red or Purple Line.
For most of its length it runs non-stop along a former interurban right-of-way, which makes it the fastest stretch of track on the network. It is also the only line that does not enter the City of Chicago at all.
The Yellow Line has 3 stations and takes about 9 minutes end to end. 3 of its stations are step-free, and it meets another ‘L’ line at 1 of them.
Every Yellow 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 Yellow Line trains run
| When | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning 4:00–6:30 am | 15 min | no service | no service |
| Morning rush 6:30–9:30 am | 11 min | 15 min | 15 min |
| Midday 9:30 am–3:00 pm | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min |
| Afternoon rush 3:00–7:00 pm | 11 min | 15 min | 15 min |
| Evening 7:00–10:00 pm | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min |
| Late night 10:00 pm–4:00 am | 15 min | 15 min | 15 min |
Typical gap between trains in one direction, worked out from CTA's published timetable. Real gaps vary.
First and last Yellow Line train
| Station | Mon–Fri | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dempster-Skokie | 4:55 am – 11:15 pm | 6:30 am – 11:15 pm | 6:30 am – 11:15 pm |
| Oakton-Skokie | 4:46 am – 11:17 pm | 6:22 am – 11:17 pm | 6:22 am – 11:17 pm |
| Howard | 4:40 am – 11:01 pm | 6:16 am – 11:01 pm | 6:16 am – 11:01 pm |
Times are departures from that station, taken from CTA's timetable, and are the window in each direction combined.
Where you can change lines
| Station | Change to |
|---|---|
| Howard | Red Line Purple Line |
Questions about the Yellow Line
3 stations, running Dempster-Skokie to Howard. End to end it takes about 9 minutes.
On weekdays the first trains leave around 4:40 am and the last around 11:17 pm, 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 1 stations, including Howard. At all of them the change is inside the station: walk across, no second tap and no extra fare.