Four CTA Red Line Stations Open July 20th Following Reconstruction
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
Courtesy of transitchicago.com
CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that four reconstructed Red Line stations will open on Sunday, July 20, 2025 as part of the CTA's $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project.
According to the Chicago Transit Authority, the four stations at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn, and Bryn Mawr will open with elevators and escalators. This work is part of the RPM project aimed at reconstructing stations “that were more than a century old into new, fully accessible and modern stations with elevators and escalators.” The project also included replacing a total of six track-miles of track structure, completing new Red-Purple Bypass construction back in 2021, reconstructing Red and Purple Line track structure between Belmont and Newport/Cornelia, and installing a new signal system between Howard and Belmont along 23 track miles.
The four stations not only have new elevators and escalators, but each now has a wider platform, larger overhead canopies, Ventra fare machines, turnstiles, and platform benches. The track structure and signal work includes “new track, support structures, bridges, and viaducts built along the 1.3-mile Lawrence to Bryn Mawr corridor, replacing century-old, deteriorated structures.” The design of the new track bridge also allows for better sightlines.
Mayor Johnson said, “With the RPM improvements, the Red Line on the North Side is more accessible to all Chicagoans, providing residents and working families with convenient and reliable transit that connects people across our great City. . . The Red Line is the backbone of our City and is critical to our economic vibrancy, which is why I am proud to support investments like RPM and the future Red Line Extension Project on the Far South Side.”
CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said, “We are proud to bring new, accessible Red Line stations to our customers, which will provide a more comfortable and convenient commuting experience. . . By opening these four stations that will be accessible to customers with disabilities, we move closer to our goal of having all of our CTA stations fully accessible. I am deeply grateful to Senators Durbin and Duckworth and the rest of the Illinois Congressional delegation for their advocacy of this project and providing our riders with the fundamental right of accessibility for all.”
As for another part of Phase One, CTA says it will develop the area underneath Red and Purple Line tracks. It will reportedly develop “10 blocks of open space located under the new Red and Purple Line tracks between Lawrence and Ardmore avenues based on input from the community.” Construction for this part of the Phase One Project is expected to begin next year and go until 2027.
