Beginning Saturday, November 22 at 5 a.m., construction will be completed on the southbound track at Fullerton and service will be available on both southbound tracks signaling the end of three-track operation during rush hour at Fullerton. Three-track operation is still in place at Belmont.
Since March 30, southbound Brown, Red and Purple Express trains have been limited to one southbound track at Belmont and Fullerton while the platforms are being rebuilt and tracks reconfigured to allow room for the installation of elevators.
The restoration of normal southbound service at Fullerton means trains can operate more freely south allowing for smoother operation for Red, Brown and Purple Line Express trains arriving at the station.
CTA expects to conclude the three-track operation at Belmont by the end of the year.
“Completing the three-track operation at Fullerton is an important milestone and marks another chapter in bringing CTA’s largest capital improvement project to fruition,” said CTA President Ron Huberman. “We thank customers for their patience during this project and assure them the accessible stations, longer trains and modernized stations will improve the overall travel experience now and in the future.”
In May, CTA announced that it was accelerating the three-track project in order to restore the southbound track to service by the end of 2008, six months earlier than previously announced.
The first phase of three-track operation began Monday, April 2, 2007. Red, Brown and Purple Express trains shared one northbound track at Fullerton and Belmont. Normal northbound service resumed in March 2008.
On an average weekday more than 13,000 Red, Brown and Purple Express customers board at Fullerton. The Brown Line is one of CTA's busiest rail lines, serving more than 80,000 customers each weekday, with 19 stations from Kimball on the north to the downtown Chicago Loop.