Red and Purple Modernization

The USDOT announced it is blocking $2.1 million in previously approved federal funding for the Red Line Extension and the Red & Purple Modernization Project.

Thanks Obama! If you're psyched about the four new ADA-accessible, aesthetically pleasing Red Line stations that opened in Uptown and Edgewater this morning, give a hat-tip to the 44th president, a former Chicagoan.

Last week, the CTA's Red and Purple Modernization team and the organizers of the upcoming 2025 Transport Chicago conference hosted a tour of Phase One of the the 'L' corridor rehab. Overhauled stations in Uptown and Edgewater are slated to re-open this summer. Transport Chicago, taking place on Friday, June 13, bills itself as "providing a forum for the exchange of knowledge in transportation, research, policy, and practice."

The transit agency held public meetings in Uptown and Edgewater, showcasing plans for natural areas, workout spots, plazas, and a skate park.

Of course the most effective way for the CTA to change public perceptions that the system is unreliable, unsafe, and unsanitary is to significantly improve reliability, safety, and sanitation.

CTA staffers shared a tentative timeline that suggests the project could take around 12 years, with engineering of the next phase starting as Phase I construction wraps up.