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<p>During the early 20th Century, the area immediately north of Chicago saw unprecedented growth. Existing passenger rail service along the existing line Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad (CNS&M) line became crowded. In 1924, the CNS&M began purchasing land for a new line between Howard Street and North Chicago, set several miles from the lake shore. This new route was expected to shorten travel times by 20 minutes, and provide a bypass of the congested shore line route. The first portion to Niles Center opened in 1925, and was jointly constructed by the CNS&M and the Northwestern Elevated Railroad. In 1926, the remainder of the route opened for service, featuring a double track electrified railroad in a private right-of-way. Throughout the 1930s, the railroad financed significant grade separation projects, particularly along US-41. However, the railroad ceased operations in 1963. By 1965, large portions of the track has been removed north of Lake-Cook Road. Between Lake-Cook Road and Dempster Street in Skokie, the railroad was sold to the Chicago & North Western, which became part of Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. The southern section between Skokie and Howard Street became part of the Skokie Swift, a pilot project for mass transit. The railroad featured five miles of length traveled in 6.5 minutes. Since, the route has been re-branded as the CTA Yellow Line. UP abandoned the segment in 2005. From Oakton Street in Skokie to Rockland Road near Waukegan, the grade is used by the Skokie Valley Trail. A gap in the trail currently exists between Skokie and Northfield.<br></p>
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