Reconstruction project is among more than $1 billion in investment Mayor Emanuel has directed to improving the Red Line, the backbone of the CTA rail system, providing more than one-third of rail ridership.
The Red Line South reconstruction project is among more than $1 billion in investment Mayor Emanuel has directed to improving the backbone of the CTA rail system. Photo by Daniel Schwen
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The Red Line South reconstruction project is among more than $1 billion in investment Mayor Emanuel has directed to improving the backbone of the CTA rail system. Photo by Daniel Schwen
Six weeks into the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line reconstruction project, nearly all of the tracks, ties, third rail and ballast have been removed from the 10 miles of railroad between Cermak-Chinatown and 95th Street, according to officials.
Crews have also begun the rehabilitation of eight of the nine stations that are part of the project, with work including lighting replacement or refurbishment; floor reglazing/repair; painting; cleaning; and new elevators at the Garfield, 63rd and 87th stations. The ninth station, 95th Street Terminal, will be reconstructed in a separate, $240 million project next year.
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The Red Line South reconstruction is one of the city’s largest current infrastructure projects and one of the largest transit-related projects in the country. The reconstruction will generate around 1,500 jobs, including 1,000 construction jobs and more than 400 part-time, permanent bus operators. Many of those jobs are being filled by Chicagoans.
Additionally, both of the project’s prime contractors — Kiewit Construction (track work) and F.H. Paschen, S.N.Nielsen (station work) — have either met or exceeded the CTA’s goal for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation, by hiring a total of 39 DBE subcontractors for a total of $82.5 million. Approximately $54 million of that will go to African-American owned firms.
The Red Line South reconstruction project is among more than $1 billion in investment Mayor Emanuel has directed to improving the Red Line, the backbone of the CTA rail system, providing more than one-third of rail ridership.
Upcoming Red Line projects include the complete reconstruction of the Wilson station ($203M), complete reconstruction of the 95th Street terminal ($240M), and an overhaul of the Clark/Division subway station ($41M).
Company officials said that this latest contract extension with Metrolinx consolidates the company’s position as the leading private provider of Operations and maintenance services in North America.
The new cars, model R262, will be funded by the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, which received a historic $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
