CTA finishes Blue Line work north of Loop; focus now shifts south

The CTA has finished track replacement on about 20,000 feet of track from Grand to Division. Thus trains have resumed normal speeds from Clark/Lake to Division. The work was completed six weeks earlier than planned due to improvements in work sequencing, the CTA announced.

Now the CTA shifts equipments and efforts to the south on the Blue Line. Work to renew about 19,000 feet of track from Clark/Lake to UIC/Halsted begins this week. Most of the work will take place on weekends, and will shut down all stops between the two stations. Shuttle buses will carry passengers along the Blue Line from station to station. This last phase will be complete by the end of the year.

The CTA is using $88 million in federal stimulus funds to pay for the project.

"CTA is putting stimulus funds to good use on projects that will have a direct impact on customers' travels," said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez. "Removing slow zones and preventing new ones, improving the bus fleet through the purchase of new buses and overhauling older buses and rail cars are all critical to maintaining a system as extensive and old as CTA's. Without these federal dollars, we wouldn't have been able to make these capital investments."

Personal prerogative: Happy birthday to my brother Patrick, as he celebrates on 09/09/09.

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