Conceptual rendering of the Chicago Transit Authority's new Red-Purple Bypass and area redevelopment at the intersection of Clark/Newport (looking south from intersection). Image: CTA
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Conceptual rendering of the Chicago Transit Authority's new Red-Purple Bypass and area redevelopment at the intersection of Clark/Newport (looking south from intersection). Image: CTA
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has selected the Design-Build Team to provide engineering, design and build services for Phase One of the Red and Purple Modernization Program, a project for which Stantec will be the lead designer. The $2.1 billion project will reconstruct, modernize and build 1.9 miles of elevated tracks, including bridges and support structures along Chicago’s busiest transit corridor.
The design will also include reconstruction and modernization of the four of the oldest rail stations on the Red Line: Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr. A new rail bypass will relieve congestion at a century-old rail junction north of Belmont Station, where Red, Purple and Brown Line trains carrying 150,000 riders daily intersect, resulting in train overcrowding and service delays.
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Chicago has the second-busiest mass rail transit system in the U.S., sections of which are more than a century old.
The Design-Build Team of Walsh-Fluor, which includes Walsh Construction and Fluor Enterprises Inc. as the lead contractors, was selected by the Chicago Transit Board in December. Stantec was selected to be the preferred lead designer for the joint venture pursuit in the fall of 2015. Phase One of the project will expand capacity, improve infrastructure and service efficiency, and support local plans for economic and community development near transit stations and through the corridor.
The design team will feature more than 300 Chicago-based Stantec professionals and will draw from practitioners in more than 20 Stantec offices. EXP, International Bridge Technologies and TranSmart/EJM Engineering will support as subconsultant designers.
The project will begin in the first quarter of 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Crews completed a significant portion of the testing required before commissioning the new, digital signaling system, which will bring important upgrades that strengthen Red Line service reliability for riders and provide Red Line Operations the ability to route trains more quickly, turn trains around faster, and recover from unplanned disruptions more efficiently, said MBTA officials.
In addition to new projects, progress continues on a multiyear effort to upgrade track, electrical, and signal systems on the Metra Electric Line to accommodate the expansion of service on the South Shore Line.
The Maryland Transit Administration is advancing the nearly $1.4 billion Light Rail Modernization Program, which modernizes the Baltimore Central Light Rail Line from Hunt Valley to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport with new, low-floor vehicles and upgrades to all light rail stations, systems, and maintenance facilities.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board recently met for a budget workshop, during which staff outlined the significant service reductions Caltrain could be forced to make without new external funding.
Funding for the purchase of the railcars comes from the nearly $220 million in additional capital dollars Gov. Josh Shapiro allocated in November 2025 to support urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements.
With major events and increased travel expected across the state this summer, the Administration is focused on making sure people have a reliable, affordable alternative to driving so we can reduce congestion, support daily commuters, and keep Massachusetts moving.
The final seven-mile segment of the 2 Line includes new stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park and connects to the 1 Line at the International District/Chinatown Station. The Link light rail system now spans 63 miles and includes 50 stations.
