Published in Paw Print October 2011
The Chicago Transit Authority Red Line will be seeing a repairs and renovations estimated at $1 billion starting in 2012. Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced early November part of the $1 billion funding has come from a $646 million state grant.
"Since I became governor, I have focused on creating jobs and improving transportation service for our citizens. This major investment in the CTA's Red Line does both," Governor Quinn said. Quinn and Emanuel say the project will create 2,700 jobs.
The Red Line operates from 95th street to Howard, serving about 248,844 people every day. It accounts for 38 percent of CTA train commuters.
Now, commuters are frustrated. Trains running from 18th street to 95th are now designated as “slow zones,” running at slower, limited speeds of 35mph. Other branches are forced to operate at the speed of 15mph or below. Reconstruction improvements would include replacing tracks between 18th and 95th and upgrading stations from Cermak to 95th. Govern Quinn predicts that without the improvements, 60 percent of the Dan Ryan branch would be forced to operate under slow zones.
The Wilson and Clark/Division stations and the surrounding track will be rebuilt. Ventilation systems at stations downtown will be upgraded. Three electric substations will be rebuilt, and ties will be replaced where the Purple Line and Red Line meet between Belmont and Linden that will improve the Purple Line’s speed. Renovations will last 3 years.
Mayor Emanuel says “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. These investments will make our city a more enticing place to live, to start a business, to raise a family.”
The Chicago Transit Authority Red Line will be seeing a repairs and renovations estimated at $1 billion starting in 2012. Governor Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced early November part of the $1 billion funding has come from a $646 million state grant.
"Since I became governor, I have focused on creating jobs and improving transportation service for our citizens. This major investment in the CTA's Red Line does both," Governor Quinn said. Quinn and Emanuel say the project will create 2,700 jobs.
The Red Line operates from 95th street to Howard, serving about 248,844 people every day. It accounts for 38 percent of CTA train commuters.
Now, commuters are frustrated. Trains running from 18th street to 95th are now designated as “slow zones,” running at slower, limited speeds of 35mph. Other branches are forced to operate at the speed of 15mph or below. Reconstruction improvements would include replacing tracks between 18th and 95th and upgrading stations from Cermak to 95th. Govern Quinn predicts that without the improvements, 60 percent of the Dan Ryan branch would be forced to operate under slow zones.
The Wilson and Clark/Division stations and the surrounding track will be rebuilt. Ventilation systems at stations downtown will be upgraded. Three electric substations will be rebuilt, and ties will be replaced where the Purple Line and Red Line meet between Belmont and Linden that will improve the Purple Line’s speed. Renovations will last 3 years.
Mayor Emanuel says “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. These investments will make our city a more enticing place to live, to start a business, to raise a family.”