CTA Shares Details For Major Red Line Extension To Far South Side
By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 29, 2016 8:44PM
103rd Street Station rendering / CTA
The CTA has unveiled new details about a major project to extend the Red Line from 95th Street to the Far South Side, at 130th Street.
The proposal calls for four new stations along the future track: near 103rd Street (rendering pictured above), 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street. (Map pictured below.)
The agency further outlined the project’s remaining key question—whether the extension would run east or west of the Union Pacific Railroad between 99th St. and 118th St.—and offered up several dates on which the public can offer feedback, about either directional option and on the project as a whole.
The CTA said it will publish details about potential impacts of both options on Oct. 6 (the report to be available here), at which time public could express “formal comments” through Nov. 30. A public hearing will also be held (location TBD) at which residents will be able to ask questions and offer thoughts. The agency also said in a press release that the CTA has not yet begun obtaining properties necessary for the extension (since the exact pathway is not finalized) but some property acquisition “may be necessary.”
“We are pleased to make progress on this transformational Red Line project, which will expand transit for the Far South Side and create faster access to jobs, education and opportunity,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said in a press release. “As we move forward in the comprehensive federally required planning process for this project, we continue to make significant investment in the South Side that include the new 95th Terminal, improved Red and Green Line service and expanded bus service on multiple routes to better serve our customers.”
Regardless of which side of the Union Pacific the final alignment takes, the extension look to be big improvement for Far South Side commuters, as far south as Altgeld Gardens and Riverdale.
The $2.3 billion dollar extension is part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's "Red Ahead" initiative, which also includes a much-needed (and pretty cool-looking) upgrade of the 95th St. Station. The CTA hopes to have the extension completed by 2026, CTA spokesperson Tammy Chase said.
CTA