For August 2014 this is CTA News in Review.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and CTA President Forrest
Claypool announced the CTA will receive $35 million in a new so-called “Core Capacity”
federal funds for the first phase of one of the largest capital projects in CTA history.
The Red and Purple Modernization program is one of several Red Line projects that have
been undertaken since 2011 to modernize the city’s busiest rail line.
The first phase of the project, called RPM for short, will fully rebuild the Lawrence,
Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations and adjacent tracks and signal system.
The first phase will also include the construction of a bypass north of the Belmont station to
accommodate future ridership growth and alleviate train traffic congestion where Red, Purple
and Brown line tracks intersect.
The RPM project will allow CTA to accommodate more riders on this busy corridor over the
next 60-80 years, benefiting generations of customers and contributing to Chicago’s
economic vibrancy.
The new federal funding will cover preliminary design and engineering and environmental planning.
This work is in addition to the major reconstruction of the Wilson station, work on which will
begin this fall.
As part of the CTA’s plan to extend the Red Line on the South Side from 95th Street
to 130th Street, the CTA announced that it had narrowed down five of its preliminary
options that had been under consideration to two for the proposed Red Line Extension
Project.
The CTA will continue to study the two options, as part of the federal environmental review
process, that both include extending the line by 5.3 miles and building four new stations
near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street.
The current estimated cost of the project is $2.3 billion.
The Red Line Extension will provide rapid transit rail service to an area that does
not have direct CTA rail service, improving access to jobs and education and fostering
economic development.
The CTA continued its “Your New Blue” project by announcing that two of the CTA’s
oldest rail stations will receive major renovations and a third will receive upgrades starting
in September, as part of Mayor Emanuel’s $492 million modernization program for the
O’Hare branch of the Blue Line.
The $33 million station improvement plan for the California, Western, and Damen Blue Line
stations will provide customers a safer, more comfortable transit experience.
In order to complete the major repairs and improvements planned for the California and
Damen stationhouses and platforms, the CTA announced that the California will close for
42 days on Sept. 4 and will reopen Oct. 16.
After that, the Damen station will close for 63 days on Oct. 20 and will reopen Dec. 22.
California and Damen will both get extensive stationhouse and platform upgrades and repairs
that include structural repairs as well as improved lighting, signage, more turnstiles
and new bike racks.
The Western station underwent a major renovation in 2001 and needs less extensive improvements
and repairs, so the station will remain open throughout the construction period.
Mayor Emanuel, CTA President Claypool, and CTA Chairman Terry Peterson unveiled the newly
renovated Harrison Red Line station following the completion of a $10 million modernization
of the 70-year old station.
To create a brighter, cleaner and safer travel environment for the 1.4 million people who
use the station each year, the CTA added new LED lighting, new ceramic wall tile, new granite
flooring and made other improvements and repairs throughout the station.
The CTA has also added larger Train Tracker digital displays to entrances and mezzanines
and increased the number of security cameras and emergency telephones to enhance safety
for customers.
The CTA launched the second phase of a major $71.2 million Brown and Purple Line improvement
project to eliminate slow zones and create a smoother, more reliable ride for customers
between Armitage and the Merchandise Mart.
The CTA awarded a $40 million contract to Kiewit Infrastructure, which will begin major
track improvement work along what’s called the Ravenswood Connector, which carries about
700 Brown and Purple Line trains each weekday.
The trackwork begins as CTA ironworkers have been making repairs and upgrades on the 100-year-old
elevated structure between Armitage and the Merchandise Mart for nearly a year.
The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2015, and the result of the
two-year effort will be improved speed and reliability for Brown and Purple Line trains.
The CTA reminds students and their parents that they are eligible to receive student
reduced fares of just 75 cents to ride CTA trains and buses on school days.
To get the student rate, parents and students need to take just a few easy steps.
Most students will get their student fare cards directly from their school.
The CTA also announced the transit agency will once again provide students with free
CTA bus and train rides on the first day of school on Sept. 2.
The goal of the “First Day, Free Rides” program, which Mayor Emanuel and the CTA begin
in the fall of 2011, is to promote attendance on the first day of school – which sets
the tone for the rest of the school year.
Beyond Sept. 2, the 75-cent student fare is available for full-time students ages 7–20
Monday thru Friday, 5:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m., on days school is in session -- with the use
of their student Ventra card.
For more information on obtaining 75-cent student fares, students or their parents should
contact their school.
They can also get more information on the CTA web site at www.transitchicago/students.