All Station Accessibility Program - Austin Station
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Project programmed before 2024; Not evaluated by these metrics.
Project Description
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.