CTA Awards $15.3MM for Austin Green Line Station Improvements

Rendering Courtesy of CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on July 12 announced that it has awarded a $15.3 million contract to John Burns Construction Company, LLC for the renovation of the Austin Green Line station, including the addition of an elevator and other improvements to make the station fully accessible as part of the agency’s All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP).

According to CTA, the Chicago Transit Board approved the awarding of the contract following a competitive procurement process. Funding for this critical infrastructure project was sourced through the federal government’s Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Governor Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan. STP funds provided $20.3 million in funding and Rebuild Illinois provided $5.3 million for a total budget of $25.6 million.

The original street level station opened in 1899 and has not been upgraded since it was rebuilt in 1962. The work at the Austin Green Line station, CTA says, will include fully reconstructing the main stationhouse at 351 N. Austin Blvd., which upon completion will feature a new elevator and escalator that connects the station house to the platform above, in addition to a new ADA accessible ramp, new stairs and a platform extension.

Details regarding the timeline of project work, including start and completion dates, will be announced at a later date.

Under the leadership of CTA President Carter, the ASAP Strategic Plan was released in 2018, which serves as a blueprint for making all rail stations fully accessible by 2038. Currently, 103 of CTA’s 145 rail stations (70%) are ADA accessible. With this announcement, 14 stations are currently funded and in various stages of planning and design or under construction.

In addition to modernizing non-accessible stations, the ASAP Strategic Plan also outlines plans for upgrading and/or replacing elevators throughout the system in phases. So far, CTA says it has secured $36 million in funding for elevator replacement and/or modernization efforts and is currently completing an inventory of these elevator conditions to be able to put construction packages together for future project work.

“The CTA has made it a priority to collaborate with the disability community to pursue a vision of 100% accessibility for all customers,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., “Awarding this contract for the Austin Green Line, we are able to take another step forward to realize the goal of making all stations 100% accessible, while also seeking opportunities to invest in the Austin community on our city’s West Side. 

Separately, CTA has unveiled an improved, expanded and interactive tool to track the agency’s performance as part of its “continuing commitment to transparency and to keeping customers informed on all aspects of operations.”

CTA’s updated Performance Metrics report, to be updated monthly as a PowerBI interactive dashboard on CTA’s website, measures multiple areas of performance, from ridership numbers to operator headcount, elevator and escalator up-time and availability of bus and rail fleet for service. The dashboard will provide a 13-month history to look at historical performance and customize information to user preferences.

CTA has published performance metrics for many years, using a simple, non-interactive format. The new format, the agency says, “expands the amount of information and uses easy-to-understand graphs to express performance numbers.” CTA began publishing its ‘Meeting the Moment’ scorecard in September 2022 and this comprehensive performance dashboard, the agency says, incorporates those metrics, as well as a one-stop-shop for all key performance indicators (KPIs). Among the performance measures tracked:

• Service delivered performance by rail line, and by bus route.
• Bus and rail operator hiring and attrition.
• Elevator and escalator uptime.
• Bus and rail deep cleanings.
• Meeting the Moment 2023 goals and performance.

“CTA is a data-driven operation, and we use many KPIs internally to manager our performance,” said Carter. “I am excited that our riders will be able to look at some of the same KPIs to track us.”

“These performance metrics are a way we continue to hold ourselves accountable to the highest levels of performance. Each month, this information will provide transparency to our customers as to where we’re making progress, and where there is more work to do toward improving service and the experience of our customers,” Carter added.

CTA’s monthly performance dashboard will be posted here.

Additionally, the Chicago Transit Board has approved a new, five-year intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Chicago Board of Education (CBE) allowing Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to purchase reduced and full-fare Ventra tickets for students and their guardians in certain special CPS programs.

CTA originally entered the IGA in July 2013, allowing for the sale and use of Ventra fare products. The IGA has covered fare costs for CPS student Ventra cards and Ventra tickets used by CPS special programs. The original agreement was renewed in 2018 for an additional five years and was set to expire on July 31 of this year. With today’s Board action, the agreement between CTA and the Board of Education will be extended for another five-year period. 

The CPS Student Ventra cards are customized by CPS with the CPS logo and Ventra tickets.

According to CTA, the Ventra program provides students with a convenient and easy way to navigate the transit experience as they travel to and from school and extracurricular activities. Through this program—and depending on the CPS program in which they are enrolled—students are either provided a customized Ventra Card featuring the CPS logo that can be reloaded with value, or students and their guardian(s) are provided customized CPS Student Ventra Tickets for their school travel needs.

“This partnership with CPS is invaluable, as it provides CPS students with a safe, convenient and cost-effective means of transit to and from school as well as after-school activities,” said Carter. “This program is a small way the CTA can help foster opportunities of growth for Chicago’s youth and we are proud to be a partner with the Chicago Board of Education and CPS in renewing this special agreement.”

“We are proud of this partnership as it reflects the collaborative and can-do spirit of Chicagoans to get any job done,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “While COVID has exacerbated a national school bus driver shortage, our partners at the CTA have remained steadfast in their efforts to support our students.”