Doors are open to the new North Terminal at the 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line station, in addition to the new South Terminal, already open!
We celebrated the opening of the second of two brand new bus and rail terminal facilities at 95th Street on January 4, 2019. The opening of the North Terminal is a major milestone in a $280 million project that is building a state-of-the-art 95th/Dan Ryan station on the city’s South Side and has already created more than 760 construction jobs.
The 95th/Dan Ryan station is one of our busiest terminals, with 24-hour Red Line service and over 20,000 daily bus and rail passengers. When the North Terminal is completed later this year, 95th/Dan Ryan will be a signature station on Chicago’s South Side that will provide customers with a modern design and amenities to improve the overall transit experience.
Features of the North Terminal include:
- A bright and airy mezzanine with a skylight and clerestory, replacing a cramped, aging facility built in 1969
- New service and directional signage throughout
- Safer pedestrian walkways to bus pickup areas and the rail terminal
- More turnstiles and Ventra vending machines for customer convenience
- Additional bike racks, CTA Transit Tracker displays and high-definition cameras throughout
Both terminals will feature two new, unique public art displays by internationally recognized artist and Chicago native Theaster Gates. The South Terminal will display a pair of large tapestries made from colorful strips of decommissioned fire hoses that are sewn together. The North Terminal will include a first-of-its-kind radio station and DJ booth that will broadcast over the 95th Street station’s PA system.
Construction on additional improvements continues on certain parts of the station and the art is expected to be unveiled later this year, upon completion of the entire station project work.
Changes to bus boarding locations
Following the opening of the North Terminal and its additional bus bays, bus boarding locations changed for most routes and new entry and exiting locations for Red Line trains will be available at the 95th/Dan Ryan station, following the opening of the new North Terminal concourse and an elevated pedestrian bridge over 95th Street, connecting the North and South terminals.
A new train platform and boarding area under the new North Terminal building offers the added convenience of boarding Red Line trains from both terminals and allows passengers to reach trains from either the north or south sides of 95th Street. Stairs, escalators and an elevator connect the North Terminal concourse to the train platform.
Map of new bus boarding locations
Updated boarding locations, effective Sunday, February 24, 2019
Bus boarding locations have changed at 95th/Dan Ryan, following completion of the north bus bridge in the North Terminal and opening of bus stops E, F and G.
What is the purpose of this project?
The 95th/Dan Ryan station is a critical piece of the CTA’s Red Line. It connects Far South Side communities, to job centers throughout the region and serves as a transit gateway for the South Side and suburbs.
Originally built in 1969, this station is now one of our busiest, with 24-hour Red Line service and over 1,000 CTA and Pace bus trips on a typical weekday.There are roughly 300,000 people who live within walking distance of the CTA bus routes serving the 95th/Dan Ryan Terminal.
Improvements are needed to better serve existing high volume of riders, provide safer passenger access to buses and the train station, and expand passenger facilities that will lead to a modern, safe and pedestrian-friendly transit center with fewer delays and shorter travel times.
What work will be done?
The new and expanded terminal will offer more space and better amenities, and improve the walking flow of passengers. Here are some basic features:
- New station building with bright, airy spaces and clear sightlines
- Expanded platforms to provide more room and easier flow of passengers
- Station will be largely enclosed in glass for maximum light and protection from the elements
- Wider bus lanes and increased spacing between bus bays to reduce congestion
- Wider sidewalks and waiting areas in bus terminal for increased passenger comfort and safety
- Sound panels at platform level to provide a more comfortable, less noisy space
- Additional escalators and elevators
- Additional space in front of ticket vending machines and fare gates
We're also taking advantage of the ongoing terminal construction to make improvements to the complex track and interlocking just south of the station leading into the 98th Street Yard. Items to be replaced include a complex interlocking, signal and traction power cabling and duct banks, ballast and other related materials.
Doing this track work simultaneous with the station work will limit the need for any service disruptions after the new station is built. This work will help improve the movement of train traffic in and out of the 98th yard and through the 95th Terminal, which services the Red Line—our busiest line.
Public art
It’s only fitting that one of the largest station reconstruction projects in agency history also features the largest public art installation in our collection. To accomplish this task, we’ve tapped internationally recognized, Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates.
More than just artwork—Gates has created a unique, catalyst program that will foster community engagement, provide jobs and offer training to school students. The two original artworks created under this initiative will be permanently displayed at the rebuilt terminal.
This historic project will create 10 new jobs for the production of the artwork and artist apprenticeships, which will promote skills development and training for local students.
Gates will also take part in significant community outreach throughout the process, including hosting five upcoming public meetings to engage and promote a dialogue among community residents, architects and designers.
About the artwork
Update: Art unveiled April 8, 2019
an extended song of our people (AESOP)
Artist Theaster Gates' conceptual rendering of "an extended song of our people (AESOP)" -- the new art installation for the north terminal building at the 95th Street Red Line station.
Planned for location in the North Terminal, this space will become a DJ booth that provides commuters with real-time audio programming and live music hosted by a regular weekday DJ, featuring DJs in-residence, musicians, poets, and community members.
This project was conceived in response to five community engagement meetings with South Side residents. Neighbors responded with a strong interest in developing a living space that would allow for the celebration of past achievements, to showcase current talent, and for the space to be a symbol of hope.
This space is designed to be:
- A public broadcast studio that area residents can take over at key moments to present public projects, live music performances, interviews, conversations, and debate—a kind of town hall within the CTA;
- A partnership with other charitable organizations specializing in recording the stories of black and brown people to ensure that historical and present voices are heard;
- And a platform to celebrate local talent, both in the construction and design of the sound studio, in the ongoing implementation of the space by local DJs, and in the development and training of new DJs through workshops on music, sound, and audio production.
america america
Artist Theaster Gates' conceptual rendering of "america, america" – the new public art planned for the south terminal building at the 95th Street Red Line station.
Two large tapestries, to be located in the South Terminal, are made from colorful strips of decommissioned fire hoses and galvanized steel. The tapestries, signature works within Gates’ artistic practice, are reflections on the importance of the civil rights movement and the struggle and acknowledgement that the work of equity and equality is an ongoing effort not carried by one people, but by all.
Art project budget
The overall art project budget is approximately $1.3 million. Of this amount, $1 million is earmarked for the design, fabrication and installation of the artworks; and $50,000 is to cover costs associated with community engagement activities, including public meetings. The artist fee is $250,000.
About the artist
Born in Chicago, Theaster Gates is an artist, cultural and urban planner, and Director of Arts and Public Life Initiative at University of Chicago, Provost Office.
Theaster Gates Studio is an internationally acclaimed practice that includes space development, object making, performance and critical engagement with many publics. Gates transforms spaces, institutions, traditions, and perceptions through art practices that combine his training in urban planning and sculpture.
The Wall Street Journal recognized Gates as Arts Innovator of the Year and he was honored as the Commissioned Artist of the New York Armory Show and featured at Documenta (13), the international art festival in Kassel, Germany. Currently, an exhibition of his artwork, Theaster Gates: 13th Ballad, is featured at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2012, Gates was awarded the inaugural Vera List Center Prize for Art and Politics and was also named the USA Kippy Fellow. Gates is also a 2012-13 Creative Time Global Resident.
Images
Construction photos
More information
Please email your comments and questions about this project to 95thTerminal@transitchicago.com.
Public meetings
Open house meetings
Three open houses were held in fall 2012, to collect input regarding the project from our customers and residents from the surrounding community. The open houses were held on:
- Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at Harlan High School
- Thursday, September 13, 2012 at Palmer Park
- Monday, October 15, 2012 at West Pullman Library
Meeting materials
Open House Display Boards
Open House Executive Summary
Public hearing
CTA held a public hearing on March 14 at Harlan High School, which included a presentation on the Project and the federally-required Environmental Assessment, and an opportunity for public comment. Meeting materials:
Public Hearing Display Boards
Environmental Assessment
March 14, 2013 Public Hearing Notice