Chicago's No. 11 Lincoln Avenue and 31st Street bus routes will be restored on a pilot basis starting in spring 2016. The CTA is also reviving two express routes.

Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter made that announcement at Wednesday's CTA board meeting.

Supporters of the No. 11 route "believe there is tremendous demand," Carter stated, reported DNAinfo Chicago. "What I'm really doing is saying, 'Let's see if that's true.' The community continued to make the case. Let them prove it."

The No. 11 bus route between Western and Fullerton Avenues was eliminated in 2012. The CTA argued the route was unnecessary because Brown Line "L" stops are nearby.

Countless protest had been staged by No. 11 bus supporters, including Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), over the route's discontinuation.

The decision to bring back the No. 11 on a pilot basis "is a huge victory," Pawar said.

"The board members spent a lot of time working with us," the alderman added. "It's a real change in the relationship."

Carter said bus service would also come back to the South Side's No. 31 route, which runs along 31st street. Additionally, the CTA has decided to reinstate the express routes on Ashland and Western Avenues., X9 Ashland and X49 Western, respectively.