WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has signed a grant agreement for $1.97 billion in funding for the 5.5-mile extension of the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line, the first line of the L system to reach the Far South Side.
The extension is the largest single transit project in CTA history. The grant fulfills a commitment made by the FTA in 2023 [see “Chicago’s Red Line Extension receives $1.9 billion …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 11, 2023]. Funding comes from the FTA’s Capital investment Grant program and will provide about 34% of the total cost estimated at $5.75 billion.
“The grant we’re announcing today will finally deliver on this long-awaited project and bring a monumental improvement to how passengers travel by transit,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release, “saving some commuters up to 30 minutes in each direction and giving them more time back in their days.” Said FTA Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanderpool, “Beyond providing the Far South Side access to new destinations, this expansion will drive significant economic growth and development, creating opportunities as well as fostering a vibrant local economy for Chicagoans well into the future.”
The project will extend the Red Line from its existing terminus at 95th/Dan Ryan to 130th Street and include new stations near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue, and 130th Street. Also included is a new yard and maintenance shop near 120th Street.
