CTA to break ground on Red Line extension in early 2026 as prep work begins on Far South Side

The Chicago Transit Authority is anticipating breaking ground on the Red Line extension early next year, officials announced Tuesday. CTA officials held the first of three community meetings Tuesday at Woodson Regional Library in Washington Heights to introduce the contractor to residents and give a rundown of the project that will extend the Red Line from the existing terminus at 95th/Dan Ryan to 130th Street.In August 2024, the CTA awarded a $2.9 billion contract to Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners to design and build the extension after a two-year bidding process.Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners includes Walsh Construction, VINCI Construction, design companies EXP and Systra and other subcontractors.The CTA’s 95th Street Red Line station on Chicago’s South Side.Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times file“It’s an honor to build this rail line and stations for you,” said Rob Cheeseman, senior project manager with Walsh Construction. “It’s been quite a process to get here, and we are humbled to be a part of it.” “It’s an honor to build this rail line and stations for you,” said Rob Cheeseman, senior project manager at Walsh Construction, which is part of the team building the Red Line extension from 95th Street to 130th.Zubaer Khan/Sun-TimesGround work is already underway on the $5.75 billion “megaproject,” Cheeseman said. Construction crews have started demolishing buildings and moving power lines in the track path. The 5.5-mile extension will be divided into six zones, with each zone having about a two-year construction timeline, Cheeseman said. The goal is to complete the entire project by 2030. Crews will likely begin to break ground in Zone 4 — 106th Place to 118th Street — early next year. The extension will run on elevated tracks from 95th Street to 119th Street, then move to ground level from 119th Street to 130th Street. The project will also include four stations that will be built near 103rd Street, 111th Street, Michigan Avenue and 130th Street.This year, the CTA secured the full to the Far South Side, which was first promised by politicians after the 95th Street terminal opened in 1969.“I am very excited that this project that has been promised for almost six decades has finally arrived,” 21st Ward Ald. Ronnie Mosley said at Tuesday’s community meeting.Community members attend a presentation Tuesday on the CTA Red Line Extension at the Carter G. Woodson Library, 9525 S. Halsted St., in Washington Heights.Zubaer Khan/Sun-Times