Tag Archives: CTA

Long-awaited Red Line Extension moves closer to reality

Sep 14, 2023 | by David Powe

After decades of anticipation, the CTA Red Line Extension (RLE) project is set to receive a nearly $2 billion injection of federal funding. The RLE will be a 5.6-mile expansion of CTA’s Red Line from 95th Street  to 130th Street on Chicago’s Far South Side. The project aims to foster thriving communities by connecting Far South Side residents to essential opportunities like education, employment, and healthcare. The Federal Transit Administration recently pledged a remarkable $1.973 billion through the New Starts program. The project can now move forward to the engineering phase (see timeline below). “Today is a great day for the South Side of Chicago,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “The Far South Side has been promised for...

Tags: Chicago South Side, CTA, Transit Equity

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Bold solutions needed from state to address serious transit problems

Mar 15, 2023 | by Ted Villaire

At a recent hearing held by the Illinois Senate, the Active Transportation Alliance and other advocates urged lawmakers to step up with needed support for a host of transit problems, including a looming funding cliff and the need for better governance for the transit agencies. “The impending transit funding cliff forces us to ask hard questions about the structure of our future transit system,” said Audrey Wennink, senior director of transportation at Metropolitan Planning Council, in her testimony at the hearing. “In the next year legislators are going to be asked to make some important and tough decisions. Now is the time to be preparing for that.” During the hearing, Illinois Senate committee members heard from the leaders of the...

Tags: CTA, metra, Pace, transit

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RTA’s plan for the future needs more details

Jan 12, 2023 | by David Powe

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) recently released its draft strategic plan, Transit is the Answer, for public comment.   The RTA coordinates the Chicago region’s transit system (CTA, Pace, and Metra), oversees its financing, and coordinates regional planning for public transportation in Northeastern Illinois.  Active Transportation Alliance joined forces with a handful of local nonprofits to send a letter to the RTA on ways to improve the 80-plus page draft plan. Co-signatories were Access Living, Elevated Chicago, Environmental Law and Policy Center, Equiticity,  High Speed Rail Alliance, Illinois Environmental Council, Metropolitan Planning Council. Each of the organizations that signed the letter were involved in the process leading to the publication of this draft plan.  While we offered support for the principles...

Tags: Advocacy, CTA, metra, Pace, RTA, transit

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