$2.1B CTA Red, Purple Phase One Project Under Way

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has unveiled plans to rebuild four stations as part of its $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project.

The new Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr rapid transit stations will be larger and include elevators and escalators, wider platforms, and amenities for 100% accessibility. This work, plus the replacement of century-old track structure (totaling six track-miles), is the first of three major Phase One Project components. The other two are:

• New Red-Purple Bypass construction (slated for completion by year’s end), and the reconstruction of Red and Purple Line track structure between Belmont and Newport/Cornelia (expected to wrap up by year-end 2024).

• Installation of a new signal system on 23 track-miles between Howard and Belmont.

CTA anticipates project demolition work to begin this spring. At that time, the Lawrence and Berwyn stations will close; temporary stations will open at Argyle and Bryn Mawr to allow riders to access Red Line service.

CTA will rebuild the tracks between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr in two stages: Northbound Red and Purple Line work will be Stage A (2021-2022), and Southbound work will be Stage B (2022-2024). The track structure, including viaducts and embankment structures, will be rebuilt and/or upgraded, according to the agency. Most will use pre-cast concrete segments that are created off-site, trucked in and installed with a gantry system.

The Phase One Project, announced in 2014, received a $1 billion funding agreement from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in 2017. It is part of CTA’s overall RPM Program to upgrade the 9.6-mile stretch of Red and Purple line track structure and stations between Linden and Belmont. The work will address overcrowding and delays. The Red Line is CTA’s busiest, and carried nearly 70 million riders in 2019. According to CTA, the RPM Program will be accomplished in multiple phases; future phases, however, have not yet been announced and are currently unfunded.

Station Redesign: A First Look

CTA, construction contractor Walsh Fluor Design-Build Team and architectural firm EXP worked with community members to develop designs for Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr that “create an identity for each station, with each responding to the context and the culture of the local neighborhoods.” They are expected to open by the end of 2024.

The Lawrence Red Line station, which opened in 1923, will incorporate a large glass bay to provide natural light and added security, CTA said. Ridership, measured by station entries, totaled 975,396 in 2019.

The Argyle Red Line station was originally a ground-level station when it opened in 1908, and was rebuilt to its current elevated form in 1921. The new station design “mixes both traditional and contemporary Asian architecture with contemporary American architecture,” CTA said. There were 970,130 riders at the station in 2019.

The new design for the Berwyn Red Line station, which opened in 1916, “reconciles the residential area east of the station with its the commercial area to the west,” CTA said. Ridership totaled 1,013,553 in 2019.

Opened in 1908, the Bryn Mawr Red Line station was rebuilt in 1921 to its current elevated form. The new design adds an entrance at Hollywood and will incorporate the glazed terra cotta commonly found in local architecture, while retaining the historic columns that frame the entrance. There were 1,390,206 station entries at Bryn Mawr in 2019.

“CTA’s Red Line forms the backbone of our city and is a critical transportation link for Chicagoans, including essential workers, who need efficient, reliable, and modern service each and every day,” CTA President Dorval Carter said. “The RPM project’s benefits extend beyond the project area by improving transit operations and by providing opportunities across the city through training, jobs, and contract opportunities that will be a model for future CTA projects like the Red Line Extension.”