CTA’s RLE Project to Receive $100M Federal Grant

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced that the Red Line Extension Project, which will build a 5.6-mile extension of the Red Line to 130th Street, will receive another $100 million of federal funding, moving the project closer to the CTA’s goal of breaking ground in 2025.

The project will receive a $100 million grant from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)/Carbon Reduction Program, after receiving $30 million from the same source in 2021.

The announcement follows the recent notification from the Federal Transit Administration in September 2023 that the RLE project was in line to receive $1.973 billion of federal “New Starts” funding.

“CTA is successfully putting together the critical funding we need to build the transformational Red Line Extension, which will increase access to transit for Far South Side residents and serve as an economic catalyst for the region,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “The Red Line Extension will improve residents’ quality of life by increasing access to jobs, education, and more. I thank our federal partners for the continuing support of this life-changing project.”

The remaining project funding will come from a $950 million Transit TIF approved by the Chicago City Council in 2022 and other sources.

Red Line Extension Project Overview

The RLE project will:

• Build a 5.6-mile extension of the Red Line starting at 95th Street Terminal to the vicinity of 130th Street.
• Include four new accessible stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street, each of which would include bus, bike, pedestrian, and parking facilities.
• Build a new rail yard and related rail facilities to improve operational efficiency for the entire Red Line and CTA system.

The Red Line Extension Project will provide a new, more direct connection to the Red Line.

Once the extension opens, it is expected to provide up to 20 minutes of time savings to riders traveling from the future 130th Station.