03/22/06
Today Chicago Transit Authority officials reminded CTA customers that as part of the rehabilitation of the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line, the Sox-35th station will temporarily close for the weekend starting at 10 p.m. Friday, March 24. Red Line service will operate at all other stations except
Sox-35th on the Dan Ryan branch, and a bus shuttle will be provided as a substitute for rail service between Cermak-Chinatown to 47th Street. Regular Red Line service is scheduled to resume early morning Monday, March 27.
Temporarily suspending service from Cermak-Chinatown to 47th Street will allow construction crews to work at the Sox-35th station without train traffic or live rail. Construction crews will demolish the pedestrian walkway from the 33rd Street bridge to the platform and renew the track from 33rd Street to Cermak-Chinatown.
Customers with disabilities traveling between the Roosevelt and 95th/Dan Ryan stations are encouraged to use the #29 State bus. Those not traveling south of 63rd Street also can choose Green Line service, as stations along the Line are accessible to customers with disabilities. All customers should allow extra travel time.
"This project is bringing more reliable and efficient rapid transit service to the South Side of the city with the construction of two new substations, upgrades to two other substations to boost power to the branch and the installation of new contact rail, all of which will enable the CTA to better serve the 45,000 customers who use this branch each day," said CTA President Frank Kruesi.
Bus shuttle service will operate in both directions in place of regular rail service from 10 p.m. Friday, March 24 until early Monday, March 27. Shuttle buses will operate every seven to 15 minutes, making scheduled stops at the Cermak-Chinatown station, 35th/Wentworth, 47th station and 35th/LaSalle. Red Line trains will serve all stations except Sox-35th.
While this weekend's work requires rail service to be suspended for a couple of days, the 33rd Street auxiliary entrance/exit will be unavailable for use by customers through the fall. During that time, a brand new entrance at the 33rd Street Bridge and a new pedestrian walkway leading to the north end of the platform will be built.
In 2005, Sox 35th station recorded 1.3 million entrances. On an average Saturday in 2005, 1,618 customers enter the station. On an average Sunday in 2005, 1,113 customers enter the station.
The weekend work is part of the third and final phase of the Dan Ryan Red Line rehabilitation project which is scheduled to be completed late 2006.
Improving power reliability and the delivery of that power are the most significant aspects of the project. Since the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line opened in 1969, the CTA has added trains and increased their frequency to keep up with customer demand. In 1969, the Red Line ran six-car trains with rush hour intervals at 5-7 minutes. Today, the Red Line runs eight-car trains with rush hour intervals at 3-5 minutes.
Seven stations from Sox-35th to 87th are being upgraded to include new flooring, enhanced lighting, refurbished platform canopies, new customer assistant kiosks and improved signs. Eight escalators along the branch are being replaced. In addition new elevators are being installed at 47th and 69th, making those stations accessible to customers with disabilities. Additional enhancements include improved bus connections, curb cuts, canopies over station entrances and improved lighting on the approach to each station. Improving power reliability and the delivery of that power are the most significant aspects of the project.
The Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line provides rapid transit service to the neighborhoods of Fuller Park, McKinley Park, Brighton Park, Garfield Park, Back of the Yards, Chinatown, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Englewood, Gresham, Chatham, Greater Grand Crossing and Roseland among others. The branch also serves as a vital link to the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago State University, Kennedy-King College, Dawson Technical Institute and U.S. Cellular Field.
The Red Line extends from the 95th/Dan Ryan terminal on the South Side to the Howard terminal on the North Side, where customers can make connections with Purple and Yellow Line trains. Red Line trains operate seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The Red Line is the busiest rail line in the CTA system and the Dan Ryan branch provided more than 15 million rides in 2005.
# # #