The Metropolitan main line was a rapid transit line of the Chicago "L" system from 1895 to 1958. It ran west from downtown to a junction at Marshfield station. At this point the Garfield Park branch continued westward, while the Douglas Park branch turned south, and the Logan Square branch turned north with the Humboldt Park branch branching from it. In addition to serving the Chicago "L", its tracks and those of the Garfield Park branch also carried the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad, an interurban that served Chicago's western suburbs, between 1905 and 1953. The main line and its associated branches were originally operated by the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, one of four companies that built what would become the Chicago "L". After the four companies were merged into the Chicago Rapid Transit Company (CRT), the Metropolitan's former holdings became known as the "Metropolitan Division" of the CRT. This arrangement continued until the Chicago "L" was brought under municipal control with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in 1947. The main line had a total of seven stationsWells Street Terminal, Franklin/Van Buren, Canal, Halsted, Racine, Laflin, and Marshfieldbetween 1904 and 1951, in addition to the stations of the Loop also served by Metropolitan trains. After the Logan Square branch was rerouted through the newly-constructed Dearborn Street Subway in 1951, the main line was merged with the Garfield Park branch and both collectively became known as the Garfield Park Line or Garfield Line. The Dearborn Subway was constructed from the late 1930s to 1951 to replace the Logan Square branch's entry into downtown via the main line, and the Congress branch would be finished in 1958 in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway to replace the Garfield Line, which was demolished to make way for them. The Congress branch contained stations designed to replace those on the Garfield Line. Both the Dearborn Street Subway and Congress branch are parts of the modern-day Blue Line. History The Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad Company was granted a 50-year franchise by the Chicago City Council on April 7, 1892, and began securing right of way shortly thereafter. The Metropolitan's operations comprised a main line that went west from downtown to Marshfield, where three branchesone northwest to Logan Square, one due west to Garfield Park, and one southwest to Douglas Parkdiverged and served various parts of Chicago's west side. A further branch to Humboldt