Commuters south of Roosevelt Avenue REJOICE, your long bemoaning of lopsided upgrades to the CTA have been heard! The Red Line is getting a big extension in plans revealed today by the Chicago Tribune, that will bring the train line further south to 130th street from the current ending spot at 95th Street. There is still ton of preliminary work to be done including an impact study in 2018 before the actual extension is built with a potential opening in 2026. If all goes well, the additional would reduce 20 minutes from daily commuters for Southsiders who travel downtown with a combination of bus and train. It’s not going to be a small undertaking obviously with Tribune’s Mary Wisnewski reporting it could cost 2.3 billion to complete. 

This massive extension is a part of the CTA’s ‘Red Ahead’ plans for the commuting system’s most used train line with $425 million construction work into the Red Line South portion in 2013, continued work on the 95th Street and Wilson stations. If approved it would be the first major train expansion to the CTA since 1993 with the Orange Line extension.

As a far Southsider who always had to efficiently manage the time ever-shifting times of buses and trains to make home from the Metro late at night, this is amazing news. This will open lives and make working in the Second City so much better for the Sox side of town. Now let’s get a direct train out to the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park, right?!