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The '''Chicago''' "'''L'''" (short for "[[elevated railway|elevated]]")<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Services|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/service_overview.aspx|publisher=Chicago Transit Authority|access-date=August 22, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812151123/http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/service_overview.aspx|archive-date=August 12, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> is the [[rapid transit]] system serving the city of [[Chicago]] and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of [[Illinois]]. Operated by the [[Chicago Transit Authority]] (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid transit system in the United States in terms of total route length, at {{convert|102.8|mi|km}} long as of 2014,<ref name="CTA facts" /><ref group="note" name="length" /> and [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership|the third-busiest rapid transit system in the United States]], after the [[New York City Subway]] and [[Washington Metro]].<ref>{{cite web|title=American Public Transportation Rider Reports Year End 2014|url=http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2014-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf|website=Apta.com|access-date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011081123/http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2014-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf|archive-date=October 11, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2016, the "L" had 1,492 rail cars, eight different routes, and 145 train stations.<ref name="CBS-fast-facts">{{Cite news|url=https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/08/09/chicago-transit-authority-facts/|title=Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Fast Facts|date=August 9, 2018|work=CNN|location=Chicago|publisher=Warner Bros. Discovery|via=[[CBS Chicago]]|access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref> In {{American transit ridership|annualdate}}, the system had {{American transit ridership|IL Chicago CTA HR annual}} rides, or about {{American transit ridership|IL Chicago CTA HR daily}} per weekday in {{American transit ridership|dailydateasof}}.
The "L" provides 24-hour service on the Red and Blue Lines, making Chicago, New York City, and [[Copenhagen Metro|Copenhagen]] the only three cities in the world to offer 24 hour train service on some of their lines throughout their respective city limits.<ref group="note">([[PATCO Speedline]] and [[PATH (rail system)|PATH]] have 24-hour service but do not run throughout their respective primary
The "L" has been credited for fostering the growth of Chicago's dense city core that is one of the city's distinguishing features.<ref name="cudahy">{{cite book|last=Cudahy|first=Brian J.|year=1982|title=Destination Loop: The Story of Rapid Transit Railroading in and around Chicago|location=Brattleboro, VT|publisher=S. Greene Press|isbn=978-0-8289-0480-3|url=https://archive.org/details/destinationloops00cuda}}</ref> It consists of eight rapid transit lines laid out in a [[spoke–hub distribution paradigm]] focusing transit towards the [[The Loop (CTA)|Loop]]. The "L" gained its name because large parts of the system run on elevated track.<ref name="chicago-l">{{cite web|url=http://www.chicago-l.org/FAQ.html#1.1|title=Frequently Asked Questions|author=Garfield, Graham|date=November 8, 2008|publisher=Chicago-L.org|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="chs">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2468.html|title=L|author=McClendon, Dennis|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=ChicagoHistory.org|access-date=December 21, 2012}}</ref> Portions of the network are in subway tunnels, at grade level, or in open cuts.<ref name="CTA facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/about/facts.aspx|title=CTA Facts at a Glance|location=Chicago|publisher=Chicago Transit Authority|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref>
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