The morning commute on the O’Hare branch of the CTA Blue Line has gotten steadily more crowded since 2002, according to Chicago Magazine. A Freedom of Information Act request for CTA data revealed that rush hour ridership on the CTA has jumped 13 percent since 2002, and a lot of that rider traffic is focused on the Blue Line.

Of the top 10 stations with the biggest growth in ridership over the past 15 years, seven of those stations are on the Blue Line. The California/Milwaukee Blue Line stop in Logan Square had the biggest increase in ridership (109 percent) since 2002. In July of this year, an average of 3,135.7 people went through the station during the morning rush hour between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m., according to the report. 

The other six Blue Line stations with the biggest increase in ridership include:

  • Logan Square: 64 percent increase
  • Western/Milwaukee: 75 percent increase
  • Division/Milwaukee: 54 percent increase
  • O’Hare: 58 percent
  • Damen/Milwaukee: 29 percent
  • Belmont-O’Hare: 32 percent

Chicago Magazine points to Logan Square as the epicenter of the Blue Line’s growing ridership. The neighborhood has a growing number of transit-oriented developments, and another big one is in the works. The CTA hopes to bring a mixed-use development to 2525 N. Kedzie, a mere 600 feet away from the entrance to the Logan Square stop. 

The CTA has no plans to add more cars to service increasing rush-hour ridership, but the Blue Line could get upgraded Blue Line cars and a different schedule for rush hour, according to the report.