The Kenwood branch was a rapid transit line which was part of the Chicago 'L' system from 1907 to 1957.

The branch served the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago and consisted of six elevated stations.

[2] The branch was built on a concrete embankment, which it shared with the Chicago Junction Railway.

[3] The predecessor of the Kenwood branch was a freight line the Union Stock Yards and Transit Company built in 1864, which paralleled 40th Street between the Union Stock Yards and the Illinois Central Railroad.

In the 1930s, the Chicago Junction Railway stopped regularly maintaining the branch due to financial difficulties; since it did not operate trains on the line, it cared little about its upkeep.

[3] The Chicago Junction took the CRT to eviction court over the matter; the Illinois Commerce Commission initially ruled that the Chicago Junction had rights to operate on the line, but federal bankruptcy court ultimately granted the CRT a stay on eviction.