Modern Terminal the First of Two that Will Replace 50-Year-Old Station Serving 20,000 Daily; Historic Project is Creating Hundreds of Jobs
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined CTA Board Chairman Terry Peterson and CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. to open the first of two new bus and rail terminal facilities at 95th Street. The completion of the South 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 new 95th street CTA terminal is a major investment in Chicago’s South Side and represents a true collaboration from the federal, state, local and community levels,” Mayor Emanuel said. “Our investments in transportation aren’t just about moving people around the city, they’re about moving our city forward, creating jobs, driving development, connecting residents and securing our place as a world-class city in the 21st century.”
The 95th/Dan Ryan station is one of CTA’s busiest stations, with 24-hour Red Line service and more than 20,000 bus and rail passengers daily. When the North Terminal is completed later this year, 95th/Dan Ryan will be a signature station on Chicago’s South Side, providing CTA riders with modern design and amenities to improve the overall transit experience.
The project is the latest in more than $8 billion of transit investments made by Mayor Emanuel and CTA since 2011, including station and track projects across the Red Line.
Customers began boarding trains and buses at the new South Terminal on Saturday evening at 10 p.m. The existing 95th/Dan Ryan station, which opened in 1969, is now closed as part of the CTA’s plan to build a second bus and rail facility, the North Terminal, in place of the existing facility.
“When it is completed, the new 95th/Dan Ryan station will provide a better experience for our customers by providing safer passenger access to buses and trains, and expanding passenger facilities that will lead to a modern, safe and pedestrian-friendly transit center,” CTA President Carter said. “This project continues on time and on budget and will be fully completed in 2018.”
The new 95th/Dan Ryan station will feature:
- Wider bus lanes, sidewalks and waiting areas for bus passengers
- Elevated pedway over 95th Street that will link the North Terminal and the South Terminal
- Elevators and escalators
- Expanded rail platforms
- Bus Tracker and Train Tracker signs
“This 21st century transportation center will give residents a modern and convenient option for traveling to work and throughout Chicago,” Ald. Howard Brookins, Jr. (21st Ward) said. “I appreciate the work of the CTA and the Mayor and their recognition of the importance of investing in our community, and look forward to the completion of this project this year.”
“Public transportation is an important part of the daily lives of residents across Chicago and this new terminal shows the City and the CTA understand that importance and are investing in it,” Ald. Carrie Austin (34th Ward) said. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and CTA to complete this project and move forward with extending the Red Line to 130th Street.”
“The new 95th Street station the product of the hard work of our residents and the passion of our city’s leaders,” Ald. Anthony Beale (9th Ward) said. “I look forward to working with Mayor Emanuel, city officials and community members as we continue invest in our families, build our businesses and create a bright future we can all be proud of.”
The South Terminal opened on time and on budget, and a new North Terminal is now under construction and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.
Both terminals will feature two new, unique public art displays by internationally recognized artist and Chicago native Theaster Gates. The South Terminal will feature a pair of large tapestries made from colorful strips of decommissioned fire hoses that are sewn together, and, for the north Terminal, a first-of-its-kind radio station and DJ booth that will broadcast over the 95th Street station’s PA system. The art is expected to be unveiled later this year upon completion of station project work.
The station is a critical piece of the CTA’s Red Line, connecting Far South Side communities to job centers throughout the region and serves as a transit gateway for South Side and suburbs. More than 1,000 CTA and Pace connecting bus trips are made at the station on a typical weekday.
Red Line South Side transit investment since 2011
The completion of the 95th/Dan Ryan South Terminal comes after the CTA completely rebuilt the Red Line South branch in 2013. That $425 million project reconstructed the entire 10-mile track structure between the Cermak/Chinatown and 95th/Dan Ryan stations. It also included the rehabilitation eight Red Line stations between Cermak/Chinatown and 87th Street, including adding new elevators to three stations to make the rail branch fully accessible to customers with disabilities.
Also, CTA continues to move ahead with planning work for a proposed extension of the Red Line from the 95th Street Terminal to 130th Street. Earlier this year, the CTA announced it had selected a final proposed alignment in which to locate the rail extension, which will include four new rail stations.
For more information about the 95th Street Terminal Improvement Project, visit transitchicago.com/95thTerminal.
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