New terminal to create Chicago transportation jobs
Posted on September 22, 2014
The brand new 95th Street Terminal for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), one of the largest station projects in CTA history, will create many more Chicago transportation jobs, as well as serving CTA’s busiest rail line and 1,000 buses each weekday, and becoming an anchor for economic opportunity on Chicago’s South Side.
The project, expected to generate more than 700 construction jobs, is the latest large-scale CTA improvement under Mayor Emanuel. It follows last year’s on-time, on-budget reconstruction of the Red Line South between downtown and 95th Street, which has resulted in smoother, faster and more reliable rides for customers. Since taking office in May 2011, the Mayor has begun, completed or announced more than $5 billion in projects to rebuild and modernize the CTA.
“Just one year after we rebuilt the entire Red Line south, we are continuing to upgrade transit for residents and neighborhoods on the South Side,” said Mayor Emanuel. “From new technology to new terminals, we are building the 21st century transit system to serve every neighborhood in our 21st century city.”
Today, we break ground on what will become the crown jewel of this new Red Line – the 95th Street station. As one of the CTA’s busiest terminals, this station is critical to the thousands of South Side residents who use it to get to work and travel throughout the city every day. Among other improvements, this project will relieve congestion for riders, widen customer waiting areas, and provide pickup and drop-off space for disabled pedestrian riders. Once complete, commuters will have a safe and modern station for decades to come,” said Senator Durbin said.
“This work wouldn’t have been possible without the determination and hard work of Mayor Emanuel or the federal investment made from the TIGER grant program. The competition for a $20 million TIGER grant was fierce and I am proud we were able to bring those federal dollars home to the South Side of Chicago. I will continue to fight for opportunities to improve Chicago’s mass transit infrastructure as we work to make it the most modern, safe and efficient system in the country.”
“Rebuilding the Red Line South was one of the top priorities in my capital construction program because it would revolutionize transportation on the south side of Chicago,” Governor Quinn said. “This new station at 95th street will build on that progress by creating even more jobs and help to ensure a safe, modern and efficient transit system for people throughout Chicago and the region.”