CTA to recognize 50 years of the 'Skokie Swift'

Tomorrow, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will mark the 50th anniversary of the Yellow Line, also known as the Skokie Swift, at the Oakton-Skokie Station.

The event will start at 11 a.m. and feature rides on two historic CTA train cars built in 1923 by the Cincinnati Car Company for the Chicago Elevated Railways, one of CTA's predecessor companies, according to a CTA press release.

"For more than 50 years, the CTA has been a vital part of the Village of Skokie, linking residents from the north suburbs and Chicago quickly and conveniently," said CTA President Forrest Claypool in a prepared statement.

The Skokie Swift opened to the public on April 20, 1964, with service from Dempster to Howard, after an inaugural train operated for a few hours on April 18, 1964. The Swift service was developed as a joint demonstration project between the CTA, Village of Skokie and the federal government to demonstrate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of linking fast-growing suburban markets with an existing central city using transit rail.

The Skokie Swift became a permanent part of the CTA 'L' system and was renamed the Yellow Line in 1993, following the CTA's assignment of color names to all 'L' routes. It has continued to use the distinctive "Swift bird" icon that has branded the line since its inception, officials said.

The Yellow Line recorded more than 6,300 rides each weekday in 2013, a nearly 6 percent jump from the previous year.