Mayor Brandon Johnson, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced the new “CTA Elevating Futures Red Line Extension Scholarship Fund” to provide a path for economically disadvantaged youth who want to go to college and pursue construction and engineering-related careers.

Created in partnership with Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners, the contractor for CTA’s historic $5.7 billion RLE project, the new $250,000 scholarship program will provide three students a year from 2026 to 2030 with $3,000 scholarships.

The New Scholarships

Chicago Scholars, a nonprofit that helps high-achieving, under-resourced, and first-generation students navigate the path to college, will administer the scholarships, which are renewable for up to five years of college.

"This scholarship program embodies what the Red Line Extension is all about: creating opportunity and unlocking potential for Chicago's future," said CTA Acting President Leerhsen. “This fund is about more than financial aid. It will help to create pathways to careers for the next generation of engineers and builders who will help shape our city for decades to come.”

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on personal achievements and financial need. They must live and/or attend high school in CTA Red Line Extension project zip codes, and plan to attend a four-year college or university to pursue a degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, or a similar field, officials said.

Winners will be announced over the summer.

The RLE Project

CTA awarded a contract in 2024 to Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners to design and build the RLE project.

The new extension and stations are expected to be completed and in service in 2030.

When completed, the RLE project will:

• Build a 5.5-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 (near 116th), and 130th Street, each with 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.