CTA receives grant toward $1 billion Red Line makeover
Written by jrood
The Chicago Transit Authority received a $646 million state capital investment grant to repair and rebuild the Red Line and improve the Purple Line. The Illinois Jobs Now! capital program investment will be combined with $255.5 million in federal funding and $44.1 million from the city for an overall commitment of $1 billion to rebuild sections of deteriorated tracks to eliminate slow zones, replace or repair aging stations, install new power systems to improve performance and upgrade a significant portion of the Purple Line. Construction starts in 2012 and will last three years.
"Chicago is a city on the move, and we must be able to move our
residents with the speed and comfort that mark modern transportation,"
said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "These investments will make our city a
more enticing place to live, to start a business, to raise a family."
Some
highlights among the Red Line improvements are plans to replace the
tracks between 18th and 95th streets and provide upgrades to stations
between Cermak and 95th Streets. Currently, almost 35 percent of the Dan
Ryan branch is limited to speeds of less than 35 mph, with almost 20
percent of the branch restricted to a top speed of 15 mph. Without the
needed repair, more than 60 percent of the Dan Ryan branch would operate
under slow zones in 2012.
Further north, the Wilson and
Clark/Division stations, along with the surrounding track, will be
rebuilt. The ventilation system will be upgraded on the underground
portion of the Red Line through downtown Chicago. Three electrical
substations will be upgraded to improve reliability and ensure that
service levels can be maintained. In addition to the work on the Red
Line, ties will be replaced on the Purple Line track between the Belmont
and Linden stations, eliminating slow zones on the 24 percent of the
express service that is forced to operate at a maximum of 35 mph or
less.
The Red Line extends 23 miles between the Howard and 95th
Street stations. Service first started in the early 1900s, with the
State Street Subway portion built by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s
Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The
Dan Ryan branch opened in 1969. Running through the heart of the city,
the Red Line today is the backbone of the CTA system, accommodating 79
million riders in 2010. Last year, the entire CTA rail system handled
211 million riders.
