Funds will allow CTA to move forward with redesigning, and ultimately rebuilding more than 13 miles of track and drainage system along the Forest Park Branch
The Chicago Transit Board authorized an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for the transfer of funding to support the designing of future track work along significant portion of the Blue Line’s Forest Park Branch. This is the latest investment associated with the Forest Park Branch Rebuild Project– a multi-year, multi-phased investment program to reconstruct the entire Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line and make it 100% accessible to those who use mobility devices.
“Under my leadership, CTA has continued to focus on its commitment to providing a great experience for our riders and I am especially happy for our riders on the West Side,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “This agreement is a testament to what strong partnerships can accomplish. Thanks to IDOT securing federal funding on CTA’s behalf, we can all look forward to this project moving ahead.
As a result of this IGA, CTA will have the funding needed to advance the $28.2 million design phase of future track work between the Illinois Medical District (IMD) and Forest Park stations. As part of this future project work, which has not yet been funded, crews would completely remove more than 13 miles of existing track and underlying infrastructure and replace it with new materials and a new underlying drainage system.
“We look forward to this next step in modernizing the Blue Line and improving the overall I-290 corridor,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. “Reaching this stage has required tremendous teamwork and will ultimately make the corridor more accessible, safe and reliable for everyone who relies on it.”
Advancement of this work is critical to providing safe and reliable transportation on Chicago’s West Side. For decades, this transportation corridor has been plagued with flooding, which has impacted travel along I-290, and has resulted in reoccurring slow zones along the Forest Park Branch, of which more than 84% is under a slow zone. Rebuilding the track infrastructure along the Blue Line Forest Park Branch is a key project component of the Connect 290/Blue Program – a partnership between CTA, IDOT and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP). The Connect Program launched in 2024 to support coordination across CTA, IDOT and CMAP as the agencies work to transform the I-290/Blue Line corridor through critical infrastructure investments.
Design work is expected to begin in late 2026. A timeline for construction would be available after the design work is complete.
IDOT applied for federal funding on the CTA's behalf and secured a $15.8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration. Per the terms of the agreement, eligible design costs incurred by the CTA will be reimbursed by IDOT. CTA will cover the remaining balance of design costs with a mix of state and federal funding sources.
About the Forest Park Branch Rebuild
Much of the infrastructure along the Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line is original, dating back to 1958, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President. In 2023, crews completely rebuilt 15,000 feet or almost three miles of track between the LaSalle and Illinois Medical District (IMD) stations; demolished and began rebuilding the Racine station to meet modern accessibility guidelines; and upgrade the traction power system for improved service reliability. The new, accessible Racine reopened in 2025.
While CTA has performed routine maintenance and made modest improvements over the last six decades, the infrastructure is far beyond its useful life and needs replacement or significant upgrades to address issues impacting day-to-day service, including:
- Only 5 of the 11 rail stations along the branch are vertically accessible to people who use mobility devices.
- Overall speed and reliability of service have declined, with 84 percent of the branch categorized as restricted “slow zones,” requiring trains to operate at drastically reduced speeds for safety.
- Under the Forest Park Branch Rebuild, we will rebuild a total of seven (7) rail stations to make them meet modern accessibility guidelines; replace the entire trackbed and drainage system along the branch; and upgrade the traction power system to support the electrical needs of modern railcars to meet current and future ridership demands.
The CTA continues to work on securing funding needed to rebuild the entire Forest Park Branch. As funding becomes available, details regarding future phases of the Forest Park Branch Rebuild will be announced.
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