Welcome back Carter! A friendly chat with the controversial ex-CTA president at the joyful Red Line Extension groundbreaking

I came to query Carter, not to critique him.

Streetsblog Chicago readers are well aware of the criticisms of former CTA prez Dorval Carter Jr. You also know that by the time he stepped down in January 2025, everyone from grassroots activists Commuters Take Action to Governor JB Pritzker had argued that Carter was on the job way past his shelf life.

But when I spotted him behind the scenes at today’s joyous groundbreaking ceremony for the Red Line Extension in Roseland, the final feather in Carter’s railroad cap, I was interested getting his perspective on the day’s significance. I also wanted to hear what he had to say about the project’s federal funding nearly being frozen to death by the Creamsicle-colored criminal. As I buttonholed him for an interview, I assured him I’d take a glass-half-full attitude towards his tenure. The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

John Greenfield: One of your strengths as the head of the CTA, one of things that people generally acknowledge you were good at, was landing federal funding for projects. So today is the fruit of your labor. How do you feel about this?

Dorval Carter Jr.: I couldn’t be more excited about this day. It has been something that has been 45 years in the making, and something that I spent the last 15 years of my career working to make happen. And so to be at a point where we’re actually having this groundbreaking, and now this project is becoming real to the people in this community, it means a lot to me, an awful lot.

JG: And how did you feel when Trump’s blockage against the funding got lifted.

DC: Well, I felt some level of vindication. One of the reasons I worked hard to get the grant agreement in place was so that we would be protected against any sort of political interference. And it’s clear that the courts agreed with CTA in saying that this is a project for which the funding cannot be stopped, and said move forward.

JG: One more slightly tricky question – if you don’t want to answer it, no problem. But some people have noted that the cost of the project went up from $3.6 billion to $5.7 million within a few months. And so some folks in op-eds and columns have said we should rethink this and not spend that much money on this project. What is your response to that?

DC: My response to that would be, had we done this project when we should have, it would have only cost us about $400 million dollars.

JG: When was that?

DC: That was back when the Red Line South was done [in the early 2010s]. And the point being that there’s a cost to delay. And that cost in delay should not result in a disparagement of equity for communities that deserve it.

[I’ll let folks with more transit financing expertise than myself ponder that statement.]

JG: Sounds good. Anything else you want to say?

DC: Nope, nope. I’m staying out of everything else. I’m just a guy who runs a hospital. [Laughs.]

JG: Well thanks, and I hope you enjoy the day.

DC: Thank you very much. Good to see you again.

Here’s a gallery of images from the afternoon that hopefully help illustrate what a powerful and fun event it was. When I get a chance in the near future, I’ll add some more quotes from local officials and politicians.

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– John Greenfield, editor