Emanuel, CTA To Announce $492 Million Blue Line O'Hare Branch Renovation

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 5, 2013 3:40PM

The Montrose Blue Line station will get more than a new coat of paint as part of the renovation project. (Photo credit: the_mel)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Transit Authority are set to announce a $492 million, four-year renovation of the Blue Line’s O’Hare branch that, when completed, will shave 10 minutes off a commute from O’Hare International Airport to the Loop. CTA has worked on infrastructure improvements to the O’Hare branch for years but this is being billed as the first major investment in the line since it was extended from Jefferson Park to O’Hare in September 1984.

The project is being compared to the recently completed Red Line South Branch rebuilding project and will include track and infrastructure improvements, upgrades to station houses and subways and improvements to signal switching and power systems. According to DNAINfo Chicago, Blue Line ridership has increased 25 percent over the past five years. The O’Hare branch saw 25 million rides last year. Emanuel and CTA scheduled a 10:30 news conference to announce the plan.

The Forest Park branch of the Blue Line is also receiving CTA's attention. The agency commissioned a feasibility study in June to assess the future needs of the Blue Line from Clinton Street to its termination at Forest Park. The study, which is being paid for with federal and local funds, could pave the way for a full-scale reconstruction of the Forest Park branch similar to the Red Line South reconstruction project. The Forest Park Branch was built in 1958 and riders who rely on it to get to and from the Loop can offer an endless stream of tales about slow zones, equipment failures, decrepit stations and Hobo Corner surprises.