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 ‘L’ line that does not serve the Loop: it ends at Howard, on Chicago’s northern edge.
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 schedule. A gold dot marks a station where you can change to another line.
How often Yellow Line trains run
| When | Mon–Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning 4:00–6:30 am | 15 min | — | — |
| 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 schedule. 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 schedule, 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.