CTA reports station modernization progress, warns elevator parts obsolescence complicates rehabs

Bill Mooney, CTA chief infrastructure officer, told the accessibility advisory committee that the Red‑Purple Modernization program has completed Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations and that work is underway at Racine, Austin and State/Lake (the latter closed for a multiyear reconstruction led by CDOT). He said the program is also advancing elevator rehabs and station modernizations across the system as part of the All Stations Accessibility plan.

"Those 16 are very specifically a package of just elevator rehabs," Mooney said, describing the rehabs as "system‑wide" and focused on the elevators with highest use and wear. He told members that elevator replacements often trigger related upgrades—electrical rooms, fire‑safety systems and other code work—because equipment and safety standards have changed since many units were installed decades ago.

Mooney also described procurement limits designed to preserve competitive procurements: "We cannot specify a manufacturer in a competitive procurement that would be sole‑sourcing our products," he said, adding that older elevator models can be effectively obsolete because parts are no longer available. "You're forced to buy a new elevator," he said, describing how 30‑year‑old components can no longer be serviced.

The presentation included site updates: foundational work and concrete pours at Austin Station for a new elevator shaft, ongoing utility and duct‑bank work near highway stations supporting Racine, and masonry and cosmetic work at Western Station on the Brown Line. Mooney said the CTA released an RFP for three parcels in the Red‑Purple bypass area, including a historic building in that corridor, and highlighted a recent bench replacement at Lawrence–Bryn Mawr that followed rider feedback.

Committee members pressed for specifics about which elevators are in the 16‑station package; Mooney said he could not list them off the cuff but described selection criteria—use, failure rates and system needs—and noted that stations such as O’Hare and Midway are among those receiving attention. Members also discussed whether procurement rules allow standardizing equipment; Mooney reiterated that federal and procurement rules limit specifying a single manufacturer even while CTA maintains specific transit‑grade specs.

The practical effect, committee members agreed, is that elevator rehabs can require broader station renovations. "Oftentimes that triggers updates to fire code; it triggers updates to the electrical rooms," Mooney said, noting that new elevators draw different power and require coordinated upgrades. Mooney said some RPM elements are reaching final punch‑list work and that major signal cutover work near Howard remains one of the last large tasks for that program.

Next steps and timelines were provided in general terms: ongoing construction at several stations, planned design starts for Belmont and Irving Park, and planning work for Pulaski and Oak Park. Mooney said the RPM project will taper into activation phases later in the year and that CTA staff will bring more implementation details to future committee meetings.

The committee did not take formal action on construction items during this meeting. The advisory committee requested more precise lists of the 16 elevator rehabs and additional detail on how procurement and parts obsolescence will affect schedules and costs.