CTA Starts Forest Park Ranch Rebuild Next Month

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CHICAGO – The Chicago Transit Authority announced their plans to start the first phase of the Forest Park Ranch Rebuild on its Blue Line.

The CTA announced it will start its first phase of work “associated with Forest Park Ranch Rebuild – a multi-year, multi-phased investment program to reconstruct the entire Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line and make it 100% accessible to those who use mobility devices.”

Over its six-decade service, the Forest Park Branch has received some upgrades, but “heavy use of the tracks” over that time have pushed “the entire branch . . . beyond their useful life” with almost 80% of the branch experiencing service delays. Incredibly, only 30% of the branch is “accessible to people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices.”

CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. stated the need for the project “is long overdue” and that “the Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line is a critical asset for Chicago’s West Side communities.” The cost of this project is $238 million.

The first phase of work will start Sunday, July 23^rd and continue through Saturday, October 7^th. The project will “rebuild 15,000 feet or almost three miles of track between the LaSalle and Illinois Medical District (IMD) stations; demolish and begin the Racine station to meet modern accessibility guidelines; and upgrade the traction power system for improved service reliability.”

The CTA stated that the project will be completed in two parts. The first, Part A, runs from July 23^rd to sometime in late August in which the track between UIC-Halsted and LaSalle stations will be rebuilt. To mitigate impact to travel, the “Blue Line trains will operate in two segments: 1) between O’Hare and LaSalle, and 2) between Forest Park and IMD. The Clinton, UIC-Halsted and Racine stations will be temporarily closed.”

Part B will pick up in late August and run until October 7^th. During which, the track between IMD and UIC-Halsted stations will be rebuilt. For travellers, Blue Line trains will once again operate in two different segments: the first between O’Hare and UIC-Halsted and the second between Forest Park and IMD. “The Clinton, UIC-Halsted, and IMD stations will be open for rider use.”

After October 7^th, the Racine-Loomis St. auxiliary entrance will re-open, with the main entrance remaining closed until late-2024 “at which time the Loomis St. Auxiliary entrance will close for reconstruction through 2025.”

The CTA encourages riders to use the adjacent Green Line, which will have additional train cars to make up for the increased traffic. Riders can also take the Pink Line and CTA bus service. The bus route rides between the Pink and Green lines will have free rides, “as well as reduced fares at respective Pink and Green line rail stations.” A local bus shuttle will run 24/7 during this time as well. 

More information about service options can be found here in the future.