CTA Expected to Receive $764MM in First Year for RLE Project
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Courtesy of CTA
CHICAGO – The CTA announced it is expected to receive $764 million in 2025, which is an increase of $396 million in funding.
In September 2023, RT&S reported that Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Red Line Extension Project was in line for a $1.973 billion federal grant. The project, which will extend the Red Line from 95th Street Terminal to 130th Street and includes 4 new accessible stations, continues its engineering phase through 2024.
Now, the CTA has announced it is expected to receive $764 million in 2025. This is a $396 million increase in funding. The Red Line Extension (RLE) project is the largest transit project in CTA history. This project is one of three in the country that is “being proposed in the 2025 federal grant pipeline.” The CTA reports it anticipates a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) by the end of the year “subject to federal review and approvals.”
All funding sources for the $3.6 billion project are listed below:
- $1.973 billion: Federal “New Starts” – including the $350 million in the FY 2025 budget request
- $950 million: Local Transit TIF
- $130 million: Congestion and Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)/Carbon Reduction Program
- $281 million: State funding (anticipated*)
The remaining $266 million comes from CTA bond funds and other sources.
FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said, “Transit provides important connections for Chicago’s residents, workforce and visitors. . . This accelerated funding shows our confidence in the Red Line project and the leadership at CTA, while redirecting taxpayer dollars spent on borrowing costs, putting those millions back in the transit system.”
“We greatly appreciate the steadfast support of the federal government to moving CTA closer to breaking ground for the Red Line Extension, a once-in-a-lifetime project for Chicago,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “I thank the Biden-Harris administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the Illinois congressional delegation for their unwavering commitment to invest in new rail service on the Far South Side, which has been promised equitable transit access for decades. We look forward to continuing our critical work with all our federal partners in the coming years.”
