Major Update on Multi-Billion Dollar Chicago Rail Expansion Project

A Chicago rail project, first promised over 50 years ago, is finally set to move ahead after a $2.9 billion construction contract was awarded earlier this month.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has selected Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners to design and build a 5.6-mile extension of the city’s Red Line from 95^th Street to 130^th Street after a nearly two-year procurement process. Plans include four new stations.

According to CTA the project is the largest in the body’s history and will provide faster connections from the Far South Side to the rest of Chicago. The extension was first conceptualized under Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1969, but plans never came to fruition due to repeated funding delays and the prioritization of other projects, according to CBS.

“The Red Line Extension corrects past transit inequity and increases access to the most affordable transportation in the city,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr.

According to the CTA the projects budget is $5.3 billion, an increase from an earlier budget of $3.6 billion – which it said were in part due to a rise in material and labor costs.

The extension is predicted to bring multiple benefits for the surrounding areas, including 30 minutes of time savings for riders and over 25,000 jobs for Cook County in future years.

Construction is slated to begin in late 2025, with a completion date set for 2030.

Newsweek has contacted the CTA for comment via email.

Elsewhere in the U.S., several major rail projects are also underway.

Honolulu’s Skyline, a rapid transit system set to be the first fully automated, driverless urban light metro system in the U.S. recently received a green light for its next phase, which will include six rail stations and approximately three miles of elevated rail guideway.

“This is another huge milestone for our rail project,” said Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) Executive Director and CEO Lori Kahikina.

“This is the largest single contract of the entire project and sets the course for completing the project through downtown Honolulu.”

The new segment is also set to be completed by 2030.

Back in June, designs were unveiled for four new station on the much-awaited California High-Speed Rail line.

The designs were for the Merced, Bakersfield, Fresno, and Kings Tulare stations.

“We are developing an architectural language for the four Central Valley stations, including soaring canopies that draw in fresh air and shield waiting passengers from harsh sunlight. The station design reflects the sustainable ethos of the wider project,” said Stefan Behling, head of studio at Foster + Partners, one of the firms associated with the projects.

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