Chicago Transit Authority Advances $5.7 Billion Red Line Extension to 130th Street with Four New Stations

Expanding Rapid Transit Equity Across Chicago's Far South Side

CHICAGO, Illinois — The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), in partnership with the City of Chicago and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), has accelerated active civil engineering and pre-construction site works for the landmark $5.7 billion Red Line Extension (RLE) project. Extending 5.6 miles south from the existing 95th/Dan Ryan terminal to 130th Street, the transformative project fulfills a generational transit commitment to historically underserved Far South Side neighborhoods, including Roseland, Washington Heights, West Pullman, and Riverdale.

The project delivers four brand-new, fully accessible multimodal transit stations located at 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue (near 116th Street), and 130th Street. Each station will feature architecturally designed canopies, step-free elevator access, bus transfer plazas, secure bicycle parking, and park-and-ride commuter lots. Transit planning models project that the southern extension will cut commute times from the Far South Side to the Chicago Loop by up to 30 minutes, providing seamless access to central employment, educational, and medical hubs.

Major Design-Build Contract and Subterranean Civil Infrastructure

Heavy civil delivery is spearheaded by Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners, a specialized joint venture between Chicago-based Walsh Construction and French infrastructure leader VINCI Construction, alongside lead engineering designers SYSTRA and EXP. The consortium is delivering a 5.6-mile continuous elevated track structure, specialized utility relocations, modern traction power substations, and a 54-acre rail yard and maintenance facility near 120th Street capable of servicing and storing up to 200 CTA railcars.

Backed by a $1.9 billion federal Full Funding Grant Agreement under the FTA New Starts program—the largest transit grant in Chicago history—alongside municipal Transit TIF funding, the capital program enforces robust workforce development targets. Over 25 percent of design and construction packages are awarded to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), creating thousands of skilled union apprenticeships and local construction careers.

Catalyzing Sustainable Housing and Economic Revitalization

City of Chicago civic leaders and neighborhood development corporations emphasized that the Red Line Extension serves as the anchor for comprehensive Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) along the Michigan Avenue and 103rd Street corridors. Municipal masterplans cluster newly approved affordable workforce housing, retail storefronts, and community health centers directly around the upcoming station plazas.

By providing a rapid, zero-emission mass transit alternative to automotive congestion along the Bishop Ford Freeway and I-94 corridor, the Red Line Extension will remove millions of vehicle miles annually, supporting Chicago's Climate Action Plan while restoring transit connectivity to communities for generations to come.