Chicago Transit Authority launches station renewal initiative:

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Transit Authority President Forrest Claypool announced a new CTA station renewal initiative designed to provide a facelift to 100 CTA rail stations over the next 12 months. "Chicago is an international, world-class city and my administration is committed to investing in what's right, to make sure every piece of it shines," said Mayor Emanuel. "With this new Station Renewal program we'll have cleaner, brighter, more functional stations for CTA riders." The initiative, performed by work crews comprised of different trade workers called the ‘Renew Crew' focuses on providing repairs in a more efficient way, creating a cleaner, brighter and more appealing station that improves the customer travel experience. "By consolidating disparate trades that used to operate independently on different schedules and at different locations, the station renewal program will integrate supplemental specialized private trade contractors," said Claypool. "This is sort of a SWAT team approach to comprehensively address all the outstanding issues at a station at once, cleaning, repairing and improving rather than the piecemeal approach used previously." Work done at each station will be determined by the station's specific needs and configurations, but can include such work as painting, new lighting, repairs, power washing walls and ceilings, replacing signs and landscaping. The first station to receive a renewal was the Logan Square Blue Line station, where the Mayor, Alderman Colon and Claypool made the announcement. The next station to undergo renewal is the California station on the Blue Line. CTA has added a dedicated page to its website where customers can learn which station is receiving a renewal in addition to the next stations scheduled each month. The website also will allow customers to provide feedback on the work completed.