This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
8/16/2024
The Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) board has approved a contract with Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners to design and build the Red Line Extension (RLE), including four, fully accessible stations on the city's far south Ssde.
The $2.9 billion contract was awarded after a two-year procurement process. A groundbreaking is expected in late 2025 for the 5.6-mile extension, which will run from the 95th Street Terminal to 130th Street.
The largest project in the CTA's history, the RLE will provide faster connections from the far south side to the rest of the city while serving as an economic catalyst to one of the most disinvested parts of Chicago, CTA officials said in a press release.
The far south side is the only area where the CTA’s service stops short of the city border. For more than 50 years, residents have been promised the line would be extended.
“The Red Line Extension corrects past transit inequity and increases access to the most affordable transportation in the city," said CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. "Hiring the contracting team that can provide the best value to the CTA to construct the RLE is a consequential step that demonstrates our vow to build this project."