It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, as part of its Red Line service and is normally through-routed downtown towards the North Side via the State Street subway.

The branch serves the Chinatown, Armour Square, Fuller Park, Englewood, Greater Grand Crossing, Chatham and Roseland neighborhoods.

When the branch opened on September 28, 1969, it was connected to the Lake Street Elevated via the Loop and the South Side Main Line.

On January 4, 1978, several large cracks were discovered under the elevated portion of the Dan Ryan branch near Clark and 18th Streets.

[4] On May 19, 2013, the Dan Ryan branch closed as part of the Red Line South Reconstruction Project which cost $425 million.

[4] With the branch being 44 years old, track conditions had been causing Red Line riders to experience longer travel times, overcrowded trains and a less reliable service.

The two bus routes would travel south from the 95th/Dan Ryan terminal either down Halsted Street or Michigan Avenue, while the heavy rail routes left for consideration were the Halsted and Michigan corridors (either underground or elevated) as well as the Union Pacific Railroad corridor (elevated or trench), which would traverse southeastward toward the South Shore Line.

[8] A map and description of the route are found here: [1] Multiple Environmental Impact Studies will be carried out, and will determine exact alignments and design.