Chicago secures additional funding for US$3.6bn Red Line extension

A Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train in operation in the City of Chicago, Illinois, US. (PHOTO: Adobe Stock)

To date, the federal government has pledged a total of roughly $2 billion to the programme, with remaining financing coming from local and state sources, including the rail operator the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

According to the CTA, the extension project represents one of the highest equity investments in Chicago’s history.

Redefine Southside Partners Joint Venture (RSP) – comprised of Patrick Engineering (US-based subsidiary of Italian RIPA Consulting), advisory firm WSP USA (US-based subsidiary of Canadian WSP Global) and Chicago-based Infrastructure Engineering – was selected as the project’s construction management contractor.

The expansion project will see the construction construction of a 5.6-mile (9-km) extension of the existing Red Line rail service on Chicago’s South Side.

It will include the building of four new accessible stations with bus, bike, pedestrian and parking facilities, as well as the construction of a new rail yard and accompanying facilities to service the entire CTA system.

To build the Red Line Extension, CTA previously acquired properties located in the future track alignment. Demolition works have already begun and are expected to continue into 2025, with further work dates, locations and plans set to be shared with the public as they are finalised.

“The RLE, once complete, will provide a new, more direct connection to downtown via the Red Line,” said CTA. “Once the extension opens, it is expected to provide up to 30 minutes in time savings to riders travelling to downtown from the future 130th Street station.”

The project’s main construction phase is currently scheduled to start in 2025, with the works expected to last until 2029.