Red Line conductor Ivan Hardaway prepares the train for departure from the station. A part of the elevated train system known as the “L,” the Red Line covers most of the north-south length of the city and carries the highest ridership of the rail line. (Eric Shelton / The UNITY News)

For newcomers, navigating the Windy City could be somewhat intimidating and confusing. Someone who has lived in Chicago and taken the “L” long enough knows that the Chicago Transit Authority’s rapid transit lines become more than just a thing or a letter.

“My first five or six times (on the train) were adventures,” said transit passenger Deborah Andrews, a former Ohioan. “There’s a lot of interesting people.”

About 2.9 million people live in Chicago, and many residents get around the twisted streets by train. But the “L,” labeled that way by locals, is not one train at all. The “L” refers to trains that are raised, or elevated. Dozens of other trains converge to pick up and drop off passengers on to the “L,” travel officials said.

“L” trains travel along tracks between brick apartments and buildings. Many passengers stay only a moment and get off without much conversation. A friendly automated voice tells them, “This is Fullerton,” or “This is Chicago.”

“I come from a town where the bus runs like every hour, where everywhere you want to go you have to wait an hour,” Andrews said. “(The ‘L’) is always running 24 hours a day and takes you anywhere in Chicago.”

The “L” is an easy way to see the sites in Chicago, said Felicia Olinene, customer service representative for Chicago Transit Authority. Olinene takes the “L” to work every day because parking is limited downtown.

“The ‘L’ is cheaper than shopping; it’s convenient,” she said.