CTA Red Line extension project clears environmental review

[MisterUptempo]

The Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration last week published the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension project.

The milestone advances the project to the next step to begin construction on the extension, which would extend Chicago’s most-traveled rail line from the existing terminal at 95th Street to 130th Street, CTA officials said in a press release.

The 5.6-mile extension will include four new stations and a modernized, efficient rail-car storage yard and maintenance facility.

If all goes according to plan, CTA projects the opening of the Red Line Extension to occur sometime in 2029.

Link to the full story on Progressive Railroading

Link to the CTA's Red Line Extension FEIS/ROD page

Direct Link to the Red Line Extension FEID/ROD report


img src - CTA

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Great news (and how did I miss the post when it was posted?)!

 

[MisterUptempo]

Great news (and how did I miss the post when it was posted?)!

The Red Line Extension gets a lot of flak from folks who consider it a waste of money. Most of those voices coming from the North Side and transplants who live in trendy neighborhoods and believe the city ends at Cermak Rd.

After decades of broken promises, it's good to know the CTA has finally gotten serious about this project. I'm hoping the RLE helps neighborhoods like Roseland that has a commercial corridor along Michigan Ave. that's just hanging on, but could break through with some more help.

Obviously, there aren't endless resources, but I would have wanted the RLE to go all the way to Hegewisch, with a stop in the Lake Calumet industrial area, near the Ford assembly plant. Looking further into the future, I would like to see CTA take over the MED Blue Island Branch and turn it into the western RLE.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

The Red Line Extension gets a lot of flak from folks who consider it a waste of money. Most of those voices coming from the North Side and transplants who live in trendy neighborhoods and believe the city ends at Cermak Rd.

After decades of broken promises, it's good to know the CTA has finally gotten serious about this project. I'm hoping the RLE helps neighborhoods like Roseland that has a commercial corridor along Michigan Ave. that's just hanging on, but could break through with some more help.

Obviously, there aren't endless resources, but I would have wanted the RLE to go all the way to Hegewisch, with a stop in the Lake Calumet industrial area, near the Ford assembly plant. Looking further into the future, I would like to see CTA take over the MED Blue Island Branch and turn it into the western RLE.

There's also a lot of ex-south siders who are against it for some reason - they insist that MED should be turned into a CTA line even though this actually serves more people and eliminates a lot of bus transfers.

 

[Metra Electric Rider]

Apparently construction contracts have been let (well, signed in American parlance) as of yesterday - wonder if Joe B was at the signing - his motorcade passed us on the Stevenson last night.