CTA unveils new station designs for four Red Line stations as part of RPM Phase One project

Design for four Red Line stations were unveiled by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as part of the Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One project, the largest investment in CTA history and the latest among several Red Line improvement projects of the last decade. 

CTA will rebuild the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr rail stations, transforming each into new, modern, larger and fully accessible stations to customers with disabilities. The new stations will include elevators and escalators, wider platforms and vastly improved amenities, better serving the more than four million customers who enter the stations each year. 

The $2.1 billion RPM Phase One project is the first part of CTA’s plan to rebuild the Red and Purple lines between Linden and Belmont. Phase One work will benefit the entire Red Line by addressing chronic overcrowding and delays while modernizing infrastructure that is more than a century old. The Red Line is CTA’s busiest line, carrying nearly 70 million riders in 2019. 

“Today’s station design unveilings mark a historic day for Chicago transit as we continue to rebuild and revamp CTA's busiest line, the Red Line,” said Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. "Public transit is the great connector of our city and with this monumental project, we are building on our obligation to ensure Chicago’s transportation network is accessible, reliable and affordable so our residents remain connected to jobs, education and opportunity."  

“CTA’s Red Line forms the backbone of our city and is a critical transportation link for Chicagoans, including essential workers, who need efficient, reliable and modern service each and every day,” said CTA President Dorval Carter. “The RPM project’s benefits extend beyond the project area by improving transit operations and by providing opportunities across the city through training, jobs, and contract opportunities that will be a model for future CTA projects like the Red Line Extension.”  

RPM Phase One 

RPM Phase One Project includes three major components: 

• Reconstruction of the Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr Red Line stations into larger, 100 percent accessible stations; and replacement of track structure totaling six track-miles that is a century old. Reconstruction work will begin in Spring 2021. The new stations are expected to open by the end of 2024. 
• New Red-Purple Bypass construction (expected completion by the end of 2021), followed by the reconstruction of Red and Purple Line track structure between Belmont and Newport/Cornelia (expected completion by the end of 2024). 
• Installation of a new signal system on 23 track miles between Howard and Belmont that will improve train flow and service reliability. 

New station designs 

In developing the designs, CTA, with construction contractor Walsh Fluor Design-Build Team and architectural firm EXP, worked closely with people who live and work in the neighborhoods around the stations to develop designs to create an identity for each station, with each responding to the context and the culture of the local neighborhoods. 

The Lawrence Red Line station first opened in 1923. The new design’s architecture incorporates influences from the surrounding area and includes a large glass bay to allow for natural lighting and added security. Lawrence’s 2019 ridership, measured by station entries, totaled 975,396. 

The original Argyle Red Line station opened in 1908, the same year the Chicago Cubs won their last World Series before winning again in 2016. Originally a ground-level station, Argyle was rebuilt to its current elevated form in 1921. The new station design mixes both traditional and contemporary Asian architecture with contemporary American architecture and is overall reflective of the local Asian communities. Argyle had 970,130 riders in 2019. 

The Berwyn Red Line station first opened in 1916 when Woodrow Wilson was U.S. president. The new Berwyn station design reconciles the residential area east of the station with its commercial area to the west. Berwyn’s 2019 ridership totaled 1,013,553 riders. 

The Bryn Mawr Red Line station first opened in 1908 as a ground-level station, when William Howard Taft was elected U.S. president. The station was rebuilt in 1921 to its current elevated form. Bryn Mawr’s new design adds a new entrance at Hollywood and incorporates the glazed terra cotta commonly found in local architecture into the station, while keeping the current historic columns that frame the entrance. Station entries at Bryn Mawr in 2019 were 1,390,206. 

Lawrence, Berwyn stations to close; temporary stations at Argyle, Bryn Mawr open 

CTA anticipates the start of reconstruction work to begin in Spring 2021 starting with demolition of existing structures. At that time, the Lawrence and Berwyn stations will close. CTA will open temporary rail stations at Argyle and Bryn Mawr to provide customers with access to Red Line service so that the original stationhouses can be reconstructed. 

CTA will rebuild the tracks and stations between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr in two stages: 

• Northbound Red and Purple Line tracks to be rebuilt in Stage A (2021-2022) 
• Southbound tracks to be reconstructed in Stage B (2022-2024) 

The track structure between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr, including viaducts and embankment structures, will be rebuilt and/or modernized as part of RPM. The first step of construction will include demolition of stations and track structures starting in Spring 2021. 

Most of the new track structure in the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr project area will be built with pre-cast concrete segments that are created off-site, trucked in and installed with a gantry system. 

Station art and aesthetic improvements in the communities 

The CTA will invite local residents to provide comment on the following components of the Lawrence to Bryn Mawr plan, including but not limited to: 

• Station artwork 
• Station illuminated sign panels 
• Murals on embankment walls 

Lawrence to Bryn Mawr: Virtual town hall meetings 

CTA intends to hold virtual town hall meetings on March 2 for residents and customers of the Lawrence and Argyle Red Line stations and March 4 for residents and customers of the Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stations. Meeting times and registration information will be announced soon and both meetings will be open to the public.