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With $38.8 million from Federal Transit Administration grants now in hand, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will continue to revamp the Blue and Brown lines to provide faster commutes and less crowded trains.

CTA plans to use $35 million to upgrade the Douglas Branch of the Blue Line to operate faster trains. After the project is complete, average commute times are expected to decrease from 45 minutes to less than 25 minutes. The authority also will use funds to make all 11 of the branch’s stations handicapped accessible.

The Douglas Branch serves as the primary transit link between Cicero, and Chicago’s medical and central business districts. The grant is FTA’s seventh installment of a $320.1 million federal commitment for the project.

The authority also will use a $4 million FTA grant to rehabilitate stations and lengthen platforms to handle eight-car trains along the Ravenswood branch of the Brown Line. The renovations will enable the Brown Line to handle 33 percent more passengers daily. The grant is the FTA’s fourth installment of a $245 million federal commitment for the project.