DOT Announces $1.07 Billion in Funding for Rail Transit in Chicago
The funds will be used for the first phase of the Red and Purple Modernization Project.
DOT's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced $1.07 billion in federal grants for the Chicago Transit Authority and its Red and Purple Modernization Project. According to the report, the project will reconstruct a section of the rail lines in order to expand the capacity of one of its busiest corridors.
"For the past eight years, the Obama Administration has been committed to investing in transportation infrastructure projects that will help more Americans access jobs and new opportunities," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "That's why we are proud to support the Red and Purple Modernization Project, which will bring better transit service to thousands of Chicagoans who take the train to work, school, and other destinations throughout the region."
The track will see improvements north of Belmont Station in order to solve a bottleneck at the junction of the Red, Purple, and Brown lines; 32 new railcars also will be purchased.
"FTA is awarding highly competitive grant funds for this project because there is a clear need for transit improvements in this busy, crowded corridor," said FTA Acting Administrator Carolyn Flowers. "When completed, this project will make a big difference for CTA riders with increased service, less crowding aboard trains, and better waiting conditions at larger reconstructed stations."