Free bus shuttles will serve affected stations; Work will also affect new weekday evening Purple Line Express pilot service on Friday, June 5
The Ravenswood Connector Rehabilitation Project continues this weekend, making it necessary to temporarily reroute Brown Line trains between Armitage and the Loop to the Red Line subway beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, June 5 until 4 a.m. Monday, June 8. The work will also affect the new Purple Line Express service on Friday evening that is being added to weekday evenings as part of a six-week pilot.
The Ravenswood Connector Rehabilitation project will provide smoother, more reliable rides for the more than 40,000 customers who ride Purple Line Express and Brown Line trains each weekday.
On Friday, the last Loop-bound Brown Line train operating on the elevated tracks will depart the Fullerton station at 7:20 p.m., and depart Washington/Wells at 7:35 p.m. for the return trip to Kimball.
The first Brown Line train operating via the subway on Friday will depart Fullerton at 7:29 p.m. to Roosevelt, and the first Kimball-bound train will depart Roosevelt at 7:57 p.m.
Brown Line trains will operate normally between Kimball and Fullerton. Customers are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
Service to/from Armitage, Sedgwick, Chicago and Merchandise Mart
For customers who wish to board or exit from the Armitage, Sedgwick, Chicago and Merchandise Mart Brown Line stations this weekend, free shuttle buses will operate in both directions between Fullerton and Clark/Lake, making stops at or near the affected stations.
Loop Elevated Shuttle Train
For customers in the downtown/Loop area, a shuttle train will operate around the Loop for connections to Brown Line service in the subway and the free shuttle buses at Clark/Lake. Customers can board this shuttle train at any Loop elevated station from the Outer Loop platform, which is normally served by Brown Line trains.
This work will require six additional temporary, weekend-only reroutes of Brown Line trains to the Red Line subway, which are scheduled through fall 2015. Weather permitting, the next weekend reroute of Brown Line trains will occur in July, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, July 17 through 4 a.m. Monday, July 20.
Purple Line Express pilot service
Also affected by Ravenswood Connector project work will be Purple Line Express service, which began on Monday June 1 and provides an additional weekday evening run – from Linden to the Loop and back – as part of a six week pilot ending in July.
On Friday, June 5 the Purple Line Express train that departs from Linden at 8 p.m. will be rerouted from the elevated tracks to the Red Line subway and will serve each station between North/Clybourn and Roosevelt in both directions.
Regularly scheduled Purple Line Express service provided from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. from Linden to the Loop will not be affected by the renewal work.
For more information about the Ravenswood Connector project, visit http://www.transitchicago.com/ravenswoodconnector. For more information on the new Purple Line Express pilot, visit: http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Month=&Year=&Category=2&ArticleId=3426.
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