After years of delays and political wrangling, the long-awaited CTA Red Line Extension finally broke ground Saturday in Roseland with a ceremonial first dig attended by Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and dozens of South Side community leaders.
The $3.6 billion project will extend the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street, adding four new stations at 103rd, 111th, Michigan Avenue/115th, and 130th Street. Construction is expected to take approximately five years, with a target completion date of 2030.
The extension is projected to reduce commute times for roughly 65,000 daily South Side riders by 20 to 40 minutes. It will also connect the historically underserved Roseland, Pullman, and West Pullman neighborhoods to the rest of the city's rapid transit network for the first time.
"This is a transit justice moment," said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th). "The South Side has waited 40 years for this investment."
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