A $1-billion program to modernize Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line—the backbone of the city's century-old urban rail and one of the busiest routes in the U.S.—is about to get under way.

该久违的项目将修复芝加哥最旅行的旅客铁路，每天为240,000名车手提供服务。火车站过时了，轨道劣化促使慢速区域陷入了通勤。

"The Red Line must be fixed," says Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D). "You can't keep a city growing on a 20th-century infrastructure with a 21st-century economy."

Because the CTA says it is in the early stages of this project, the agency is not providing details on bid packages, milestone completion dates or its partners. However, ENR has learned that transportation engineer T.Y. Lin International, San Francisco, is acting as a prime consultant. The company declined to comment.

The project is expected to bring an economic boost to the region. "This is going to create 2,700 jobs—jobs that you can support a family on, construction jobs," says Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D).

Originally built during the Great Depression and expanded in the 1960s, the 22-mile-long, double-track corridor runs at-grade, elevated and underground. The line will receive upgrades along its north and south branches, also called the Howard and Dan Ryan routes, respectively, which come together in a subway underneath the city's downtown Loop. The work will also rebuild parts of the adjacent Purple Line, which provides express service between Evanston, a suburb north of the city, and the Loop.

北端的改进将包括对车站的重大升级以及两个站点的全面重建。此外，该线路将接收轨道更换和信号工作，地铁通风升级，高架桥的改善以及三个电气变电站的康复。

South of downtown, plans include replacing tracks, ties and ballasts, drainage improvements and station upgrades.

Illinois is putting up $702.4 million for the Red Line work, part of a $31-billion statewide capital plan. The balance comes from $255.5 million in federal and $44.1 million in city funding.

"This is an unprecedented investment in upgrading our system," says Forrest Claypool, CTA president. The Red Line is badly outdated for the service it provides, making this construction project long overdue.