CTA to progress next phase of Ravenswood Connector project

CTA

This month, the Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA) will begin the next phase of a major project to rehabilitate the Ravenswood Connector, the elevated rail structure that carries Brown and Purple Line Express trains between Armitage and the Merchandise Mart.

CTA says the $90-million Ravenswood Connector Renovation Project is eliminating slow zones and creating a smoother, more reliable ride for customers for the more than 40,000 customers who ride Purple and Brown Line trains to and from the Loop each weekday.

The CTA has completed a majority of the first phase of work, which entails extensive repairs and upgrades to fortify the more than 100-year-old elevated structure. Work that has been completed so far has already improved customer commutes, with roughly 27 percent of slow zones removed since summer 2013. The second phase, which begins April 10, entails track replacement work atop the elevated structure and will remove all remaining slow zones along this stretch of track.

The trackwork includes replacing or repairing rails, ties and various track components on the elevated track structure between the Armitage and Merchandise Mart stops, a two-mile section of line that began operating service in 1900.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 and the result of the two-year effort will be improved speed and reliability for Brown and Purple line trains.