CTA awards contract to renovate Racine Blue Line station with accessibility and tech improvements

A 65-year-old station on Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Blue Line will undergo accessibility upgrades as part of the authority’s All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP).

The Chicago Transit Board approved a $75.4 million contract to FH Paschen, S.N. Nielsen & Associates, LLC, to renovate the Racine Blue Line station, which was built in 1958, to make the rail station fully accessible.

The work is being funded through the state’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan and involves full reconstruction of the main stationhouse to include a new elevator, upgrades to the Loomis Street auxiliary entrance/exit, a new ADA accessible ramp from the stationhouse to the platform, new stairs and an extension of the platform.

Upon project completion, the Racine station will have clearly defined accessible pathways to and from train platforms, bus stops and other major modal transfer points. All features along the pathway, such as fare arrays, shelters, benches and passenger information, will be redesigned to remove barriers and allow for universal accessibility.

Paschen will also make improvements to the traction power system, which CTA explains will help improve the reliability of services on the Blue Line. This work includes a new power substation at Morgan Street, replacement of equipment at the existing Hermitage substation and other electrical work.

“This is another exciting step forward in our commitment to making the entire CTA rail system fully accessible,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “The CTA has collaborated with Chicago’s disability community to pursue a vision of 100 percent accessibility for all customers. Thanks to the funding we received through the Rebuild Illinois capital program, we’re now able to ‘unlock’ one more station and soon provide a fully accessible transit option for not only this West Side community, but for any of the millions who travel our rail system each year.”

CTA says details regarding the timeline of project work, including start and completion dates, will be announced at a future date.

The Racine station is the ninth rail station CTA has either funded, under design or construction as part of its ASAP Strategic Plan, which was introduced in 2018. More than 70 percent of CTA’s 145 rail stations are ADA accessible with a goal of having 100 percent of its stations full accessible by 2038.