CTA gives timeline for All‑Stations Accessibility and Red‑Purple Modernization openings
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Summary
CTA staff reported progress on the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) and the Red‑Purple Modernization Phase 1, including wastewater electrical feed work, new stationhouses and an expected service cutover and public commemorative rides this summer; elevator commissioning and punch‑list work will continue into fall.
Bill Mooney, the Chicago Transit Authority’s chief infrastructure officer, told the ADA Advisory Committee that construction on multiple ASAP stations and Red‑Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase 1 stations is advancing and produced an approximate timeline for openings and remaining work.
Mooney said crews are finishing stationhouses and elevator systems at Racine on the Green Line and completing platform and canopy work at Bryn Mawr, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence on the Red Line, and that State/Lake on the Loop recently received a notice to proceed. “We are right now targeting late September, early October opening,” Mooney said of the Racine station, adding that the elevator commissioning schedule is a major factor in the exact date.
The CTA presentation described substantial utility work required for new elevators, including new Commonwealth Edison vaults and electrical feeds that required drilling underneath highway medians and separate permitting through the Illinois Department of Transportation. Mooney said elevators and associated systems draw substantially more power than older station footprints, which has been a program-wide challenge.
Mooney said the RPM Phase 1 stations — Bryn Mawr, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence — will be cut over from temporary facilities to the new permanent track structure on a weekend service change, with a commemorative “first ride” event for rail fans and a later ribbon‑cutting with officials. He described architectural features: white glazed brick tiles and translucent canopies at some stations, stainless steel wrapping and accessible gates, and community-driven accents at Argyle.
Contract and procurement updates included California and Montrose (Blue Line) projects moving through procurement and 16 elevator rehabs in design. Mooney said some construction and punch‑list tasks will continue after the initial openings and that activation of public spaces and final cleanup will proceed into next year.
Committee members raised questions about station color choices, canopy materials and adjacent sidewalk conditions. Mooney said designers selected white glazed brick for maintainability and lighting, that some canopies are blue translucent panels intended to moderate light and heat, and that CTA coordinates quarterly with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) on streetscape and sidewalk improvements in station impact zones.
Why it matters: ASAP and RPM Phase 1 are the CTA’s largest near‑term accessibility investments. New elevators and stationhouses change not only boarding access but also power, permitting and streetscape needs around stations.
