Project Management Oversight (PMO) Capital Projects

The CTA's Forest Park Blue Line Upgrades Project is the first of four phases of the Forest Park Branch. This project will provide for new trackwork from Halsted to IMD, an accessible station at Racine, advanced utility work, and a new substation and traction power equipment upgrades at Hermitage. This work will enhance service quality via speed, reliability, and comfort, and improve operational efficiency on the Forest Park Branch of CTA's rapid transit Blue Line service.

This project will provide for the expansion of four areas that are currently situated in the West Building of Skokie Shops to support the 5000 and 7000-series railcars maintenance cycles. All areas will be upgraded to new “clean” rooms that require the space to be enclosed, well lit, properly grounded, and air conditioned.

Blue Line O'Hare Branch Traction Power Improvements GTT - Project will include targeted track repairs to remove existing slow zones on the Congress Branch of the Blue Line. CTA has identified traction power voltage drop issues along the Blue Line. Scope of work will include but not limited to the following elements: New infill substations, infill wayside energy storage systems, infill tie houses, third rail replacement, addition of auxiliary negative rail; work will be performed by an outside contractor. In addition project will aslo provide for the replacement of ties, track fasteners, footwalks, and incidental signal and traction power; this part of work will be performed by CTA Field Forces.

This project will fund the professional services of a consultant team to provide additional program management capacity made necessary by the extra funding from the state of Illinois. Funds programmed in 2022 will finance the second year of a five-year agreement with WSP Inc. for professional services under the Project Management Oversight (PMO) contract awarded by Metra’s Board in August 2020.

Rehabilitate Rail Stations - ASAP (AUSTIN): This project is part of CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP). The goal of ASAP is to create a vertically accessible rail system within 20 years. ASAP also adds accessibility features to vertically inaccessible stations such as sidewalks and crosswalks, power-assisted doors, accessible fare array, braille and signage, accessible Customer Assistance (CA) kiosks and staff toilet rooms, enhanced lighting as appropriate, and expanded platform clearances for wheelchair maneuverability.This project is to improve the vertical accessibility at the Lake Line Austin station (Austin station). The original street level station opened on April 15, 1899 as a section of the “Lake Street Elevated Railroad’s” surface level extension. The current stationhouse was rebuilt in 1962 as part of the project that moved the western end of the Lake Street line from a street level alignment to an abandoned strip of the parallel “Chicago and Northwestern Railway” embankment. The Lake Line began using this elevated right-of-way on the CN&W (today’s Union Pacific) embankment between Laramie and Harlem on Sunday, October 28, 1962. This station has not been upgraded since it was rebuilt. The Austin station has been identified as a station that is not vertically accessible for all customers and will require the installation of an elevator to serve this center platform configuration. Work on this project will also bring elements of the station up to current Chicago Building Code requirements and meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 130 Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems emergency egress requirements.

A complete renovation of the downtown Chicago terminal station will rehabilitate the existing historic waiting rooms, replace the roof assembly while maintaining the green roof, and will replace the pedestrian tunnel in the park. A new 'pop-up' entrance in Grant Park will add a new access stair case and elevator and add an ADA-compliant ramp connecting to the pedestrian bridge. The pedestrian tunnel under Michigan Ave will be waterproofed and a new elevator will be added to the Jackson Blvd platform. The scope of work includes rehabilitation of the stair enclosures and elevator west of Michigan Avenue, replacement of the platforms, new full-length platform canopies, heated warming shelters, construction of a new vendor space at lower level, and all new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing throughout the station.

Replacement of HVAC systems that are beyond their useful life at the California Ave. Yard.

Purchase Rail Cars - 7000' Series (Base Order 400) - Program funds will provide for the continued cash needs and obligation provisions as identified in the contract documents for the 7000' series rail car Base contract order of 400 cars.

This project, a Public-Private Partnership between Metra and the Union Pacific Railroad, will constructtwo new segments of third mainline track on the Union Pacific West Line. One of the segments will bebetween the Vale Interlocking at milepost 10.0 in River Forest and the 25th Avenue Interlocking atmilepost 11.8 in Melrose Park. The other segment will be between the Kress Interlocking at milepost32.1 in West Chicago and the Peck Interlocking at milepost 38.4 in Geneva.Improvements are anticipated for all four of the interlockers that bookend the two segments. Additionally,a new interlocker may be constructed at milepost 35.4 between the Kress and Peck interlockers, whichwill increase operational flexibility. The interlocker improvements and additions will be constructed tomeet Positive Train Control requirements.Improvements along both segments will include, but not be limited to, trackwork, earthwork, sub-ballast,structures, signal infrastructure, interlocking upgrades, and all work necessary at highway gradecrossings. Bridge improvements will be needed over both the Des Plaines River and the Fox River toallow for the third mainline track. The project will also include platform relocations and improvements atboth the Maywood and Melrose Park stations, and platform, platform shelter, and parking improvementsat the Geneva station. Lastly, land acquisition may be required at various locations along the twosegments in areas where the right of way is not wide enough to accommodate the third main track withinthe track centers required by the Union Pacific.

These projects consist of the replacement of cross ties, switch ties and ballast. In order to maintain proper track gauge and surface, it is necessary to replace ties and ballast periodically. This improves the riding quality of the trains and reduces the incidence of slow orders, which adversely affect adherence to train schedules. These projects represent part of an ongoing program to replace ties and ballast throughout the commuter territory.