Chicago West Side commuters will need to start getting ready and preparing different alternatives of transportation. The Chicago Transportation Authority’s Blue Line near West Side and Illinois Medical District stations will be temporarily closed for under-construction purposes.
For example, the Clinton, UIC-Halsted, and Racine stations are three of the stations that will be closed until late August, CTA officials said. The reason behind the shutdown is that the CTA Blue Line is part of the “Forest Park Branch Rebuild” project.
Additionally, regardless of the CTA stations temporarily closing, commuters will still have to access the trains between the O’Hare and LaSalle stations. As well as train stations between the Forest Park and Illinois Medical District stations.
Transportations
As mentioned above, despite the brief closing of the CTA, commuters will still have access to alternative lines between the Stations presented above. The stations will be having alternative lines for passengers to utilize. However, for numerous people, the shutdown will still be causing an incredible amount of inconvenience and struggle as they try to get from one place to another. Nonetheless, the lines that will stay open for commuters include the Pink and Green lines.
Furthermore, not only will these lines stay open, but as mentioned by CTA spokeswomen Catherine Hosinski, they will be reducing fares of the Pink and Green lines by half. Additionally, there will be free bus rides on all route stops between the Green and Pink lines from Ashland to Austin.
CTA’s Forest Park Branch Rebuild Project
The Forest Park Branch Rebuild Project will consist of facilitating and improving services for residents with disabilities and making it 100% accessible for people with mobility devices, a CTA official said. Moreover, it will also help with eliminating service delays on the Blue Line train. Making everyone’s ride smoother and faster.
The rebuilding project was scheduled to start on Sunday of last week at 3:00 a.m. At this moment, the first phase of the project should finish by late October. However, the termination of the second part of the project is still unknown. In addition, the cost of the whole project itself will total $286 million.
Additional Transportation Resources
Apart from the previous train lines, staying open for commuters to transport in, CTA will also be keeping their bus shuttle open 24/7 all through the project. There will be an additional express shuttle open as well from Jackson. Plus, apart from the shuttles, a peak-direction-only express route will transport passengers from the Medical District to Jackson during the rush hour in the morning and in the evening in the opposite direction.
Advice
The CTA highly encouraged passengers who board the Blue Line to look and consider alternative routes and buses they can take in order to access the Green and Pink Lines. The Green and the Pink Line run parallel to the Blue Line. For this reason, they will stay open for the public to use.
This recommendation is highly encouraged and should be kept in mind. People should prepare for the new plans and changes that will come in the near future.
Many commuters who usually take the Blue Line to get to work have opted for other alternatives. One of the alternatives, as one commuter said, was to “take his bike on his dark and early morning commute.”
Another commuter also mentioned taking the bus in order to go further to their destination and then walk to work. Consequently, people are encouraged to plan ahead, since there are other methods of transportation available.
Prioritizing Commuters
The CTA will do its best to keep everyone happy and satisfied with its services, as well as meet everyone’s needs and requirements. As the CTA Spokeswomen Catherine Hosinski mentioned, “We are taking every step to keep customers informed on the project and the impacts to service that may happen.”
Written By Nohemi Sanchez
Sources:
ABC 7 EYEWITTNESS NEWS: Commuter Alert; Blue Line Stations on Near West Side now closed for improvements
ABC 7 EYEWITNESS NEWS: CTA Blue Line commuters brace for impact of station closures on Near West Side
5 CHICAGO: Chicago Blue Line service to be disrupted as Forest Park branch construction begins
Featured Image courtesy of Daniel Lobo Flickr Page – Public Domain License
Inset Images courtesy of Stephen Cannon Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
