The Franklin Street Terminal was a rapid transit station on the Chicago "L" that was the eastern terminus of the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad from 1895 to 1897.

The Metropolitan began service in 1895, although use of the Franklin Street Terminal would be delayed by a week and a half.

[b][4][5] Unlike the competing South Side and Lake Street Elevateds, the Metropolitan never used steam traction, although it had originally intended to and had built much of its structure under the assumption that locomotives would be used,[7] deciding only in May 1894 to have electrified tracks instead.

[9] The Metropolitan's tracks on the Logan Square branch were finished up to Robey by the middle of October 1894, and were powered in April 1895 for test and inspection runs.

[11] The Metropolitan began service at 6 a.m. on Monday, May 6, 1895, between Robey on the Logan Square branch[b] and Canal on the main line just west of the river.

[16] It has been speculated that the terminal's closure was due to the cramped space the station and its infrastructure occupied between Franklin Street and the Chicago River.

[1] The Metropolitan transferred its rights to the terminal, previously perpetual, to the West Side Construction Company as payment for more dues in March 1898.

[17] The Loop soon overflowed, and the Metropolitan had to use stub tracks past Canal to turn back excess trains.

These Canal-ending trains benefited workers of west side factories, who were not bound for a trip to the Loop.

[22] Unlike the competing South Side and Lake Street Elevateds, the Metropolitan never used steam traction; although it had originally intended to, and had built much of its structure under the assumption that locomotives would be used,[7] it decided in May 1894 to have electrified tracks instead,[8] making it upon its opening the first electric elevated railroad in the United States.