The Red Line extension: It's starting

Red Line Extension

Via Block Club Chi: 

With preliminary work underway, transit officials say the long-awaited Red Line Extension is set to break ground early next year.

The $5.7 billion, 5.6-mile Red Line Extension project would move the south end of the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street. The CTA plans to build stations at 103rd and 111th streets near Eggleston Avenue, at Michigan Avenue near 116th Street and at 130th Street near the Altgeld Gardens public housing project.

Officials with the CTA and contractor Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners updated neighbors on the project Thursday during a Meet the Contractor session at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 211 E. 115th St. in Roseland.

Groundbreaking is set for early 2026, and the project will be split into six zones, said Rob Cheeseman, construction manager for the project with Walsh Construction and senior project manager for Walsh-VINCI.

The project is said to be in it's design phase and currently prep work such as demolition, utility relocation, and soil sampling is underway. A lot of buildings were condemened in the areas where the extension is to be built.

Construction will begin in the middle of the route. Crews will start from 106th Place to 118th Street — including two new stations at 111th Street and Michigan Avenue — then from 99th Place to 106th Place along Eggleston Avenue, with a new station at 103rd Street.

From there, crews will complete the remaining segments from north to south:

• The existing 95th Street-Dan Ryan terminal to the Interstate 94/Interstate 57 interchange.
• Interstate 94 to 99th Place.
• 118th Street to 120th Place, including a bridge over the Metra Electric tracks.
• 120th Place to 132nd Street, including the new 130th Street-Altgeld Gardens terminal.

 Also

Much like the North Side’s Red-Purple Modernization project, two bridges for the Red Line Extension will incorporate pre-cast segments that will be built off-site. This will allow construction to be completed in a “much faster fashion” than traditional methods, Cheeseman said.
...
One resident asked project leaders to prioritize plant life along the extension route and at the four new Red Line stations.

The CTA and construction teams will return to neighborhoods near the new stations for public input sessions later this year, and residents can share their ideas for greenery, benches and other aspects of the station developments, said Tammy Chase, CTA director of communications.

I can't believe it, it's starting and very soon! 

Chicago Transit Tours: 103rd Street/Rosemoor Station Tour

 

[VIDEO] This video from Chicago Transit Tours is only one day old of the newly refurbished 103rd Street Metra Electric station. Officially the station is 103rd St./Rosemoor and the entrance is at the east corner of 103rd & Dauphin.

I like the more inviting entrance which is right off of Dauphin, as opposed to having the reach the platform under the viaduct as was the case for most of the Metra Electic stations on the south side. A platform where you can wait for a train in inclement weather, though you can also wait in an enclosed space on the platform or wait at street-level where you can either take an elevator or stairs to the platform.

Per another video about these Metra Electric station improvements shared on this blog earlier this month, these same improvements are coming to 95th and 87th. The necessary work at 79th Street had already been completed.

I have some other comments which I would share at a later date. However, these improvements might be great for those who prefer to take the Metra Electric for their commutes to and from downtown Chicago.

Stormy Kara: Metra's Massive Makeover

 

[VIDEO] While we wait to begin construction of the CTA Red Line extension to 130th Street, at least Metra our suburban commuter rail service is making some improvements to Metra Electric stations on the south side.

I witnessed construction on the 103rd Station in Rosemoor over the past summer. My curiosity was peaked what did they have in mind. I like the idea of a more inviting station and without having to go under the railroad viaduct to board a train.

It appears that's what they have in store for other south side stations such as 79th and 87th. And I can't wait for you to see what's planned at 95th. That's another station that was due for a makeover and it appears there will be an entrance off the street and perhaps they'll use that long - seemingly abdoned building adjacent to the streets. Thankfully will utilize it's position right next to Chicago State University.

My question is how many of you use the Metra Electric line to get to where you need to go? Do you like these improvements?

CBS Chicago: Advance work to begin for Chicago's Red Line Extension project

 

[VIDEO] The work is starting and while the funding for this project isn't yet secured, I'm still hoping to ride the first trains past 95th Street in the near future. For now, construction crews are preparing to work on utilities and possible demolish properties along the extension.

Red Line extension gets $2 billion, one step closer to reality

Well this is what the Sun-Times says that $2 billion is pledged towards.

The $3.7 billion Red Line extension has “advanced to the final phase” of the painstaking, federal funding process. The feds are making a $2 billion commitment to cover half the cost and authorizing CTA to advance to the engineering stage, which CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. called the “final step ... in order to begin construction.”

The CTA hopes to award an engineering and construction contract and begin preliminary work before the end of this year, then reach the final step — a full-funding grant agreement with the feds. That would pave the way for construction of the extension and four stations to begin in 2025.

“You have heard us talk about this project for decades, but I’m here to tell you the project is now happening,” Carter told a news conference at the Red Line Extension Community Outreach Center, 401 W. 111th St.

The Red Line extension includes new stations at 103rd; 111th Street near Eggleston Avenue; along Michigan Avenue near 116th Street; and the new terminus at 130th Street near Altgeld Gardens.

Here's a WGN story about this which aired on the news yesterday. It features comments from Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Mayor Brandon Johnson, CTA Pres. Dorval Carter, and Ald. Anthony Beale as he will benefit from this new L branch. [VIDEO] 

Trains Are Awesome: Metra has a holiday train

 

[VIDEO] YouTube channel Trains Are Awesome shows the Holiday Train that runs on the Metra Electric line. We know about the CTA Holiday Train which is currently running through Christmas, but I never knew about a Metra Holiday Train which is chronicled here as Thom boards that train from Homewood to come into the Randolph Street station for gift bags and a hot chocolate from Starbuck's.

Here are some more details from Metra however note tickets are sold out, however, there's always next year now that you know. The train itself runs on three Saturdays this month and sadly today Dec. 17th is the last day it will run this month. So there's always next year if you want to check it out.

Happy holidays.

Block Club Chi: Red Line extension is now closer than ever

 The most recent reporting on the future Red Line extension which will take the L further south into Roseland to 130th Street. As I read this article no money has been allocated to start this project yet.

Block Club Chi:

Seen the new 7000 series L cars on the Red Line yet

 

[VIDEO] It appears they're in service on the CTA Red Line as of Monday. Chicagoland Transit on YouTube is showing these newest train sets in action either on the north side and as far south as 63rd Street. Perhaps I'll finally see these trains in action and certainly ride on one.

If you're tired of facing the aisles when you ride this train doesn't have aisle facing seating. Aside from of course priority seating for the elderly or passengers with disabilities.

CTA Red Line extension project #RLEReady #Ward09

[VIDEO] CTA has a new video out about the CTA Red Line extension that is still being planned that takes the Red Line further south into Roseland and Altgeld Gardens where the final destination is 130th Street. The next critical phase for this ambitious project is construction which is expected to cost $2.3 billion half of that would come from federal funding and the rest from non-federal funding i.e from the city of Chicago, state of Illinois and/or even CTA itself.

I like these renderings of the various stops on the southbound Red Line extensions.

#tbt Riding Amtrak through the south side

Back in 2014, I took a quick trip during the holiday season to Memphis, Tennessee aboard Amtrak's City of New Orleans train and shot video on my iPhone. Luckily I got footage during the morning hours as we rolled through the south side back to Union Station downtown.

I had uploaded these videos to my YouTube channel and granted it's not the most exciting footage, however, how many people have seen the Roseland and Rosemoor area from this perspective. As we head into the heat of the summer, perhaps some winter scenery will help cool you down.

Here's footage of the train rolling through Roseland starting at 115th Street. [VIDEO]

Here's another shot from going through Rosemoor going past 103rd Street and we see the campus of Chicago State University [VIDEO]

Oh yeah we talked about Amtrak earlier this month!

Metra Electric delays during last nite's PM rush

[VIDEO] If you were traveling on the old IC line aka Metra Electric District you experienced some delays especially if you left from any station between Randolph Street to 51st Street. The video you see above aired on CBS 2's 6 PM broadcast.

Per  a tweet from a dedicated twitter page for the Metra Electic District electical power had been restored though trains would operate with residual delays

Metra Alert ME - Electrical power has been restored. Inbound and outbound train movement has been cleared to proceed. Trains will be operating with extensive delays - UPDATE #2

— Metra Electric (@metraMED) July 3, 2019

Metra Electric ride-along #fbf

[VIDEO] Remember a few years ago that I had shared a video of the CTA Red Line where you would see the whole journey from 95th Street to Howard Street on the north side. What you see above was published on Metra's YouTube channel in May 2017.

In this case you will see the journey of the Metra Electric train from University Park in Will County through the south suburbs and into the city to the Millenium Park station in downtown Chicago just under Randolph Street.

If you want to see it's journey through the south side of Chicago just skip to about 30 mins into this one hour video. Basically you'll see the communities of Ward 9 from about 130th to 95th roughly on it's journey. Of course if you continue watching until it goes into downtown Chicago you will see Hyde Park and Bronzeville along the way.

And it's also interesting to note that this line which also has branches west into Blue Island and east to the South Chicago neighborhood has been part of proposals to become part of the CTA as the grey line. It was also cited as an alternative to building the Red Line extension by a candidate for mayor of Chicago.

Metra Electric Map