CTA launches annual Refresh & Renew program
Through its annual Refresh & Renew program, the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) rail stations will be receiving repairs and improvements this spring. CTA says work crews will be performing an estimated $6.5 million in repairs and maintenance this year at rail and bus locations across the CTA service region.
Through Memorial Day weekend, improvements will be made at the following six rail stations across three lines, plus four bus turnarounds:
- Red Line: 63rd
- Blue Line: Pulaski, Austin, Kedzie-Homan,
- Green Line: Oak Park, Halsted
- Bus Turnarounds: Kedzie & 63rd, Western and 79th, Chicago & Austin, 67th and Oglesby
“The Refresh & Renew program provides our riders and employees with a cleaner, more comfortable CTA travel experience,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “This important program ensures that rail station repairs and upgrades are made proactively and quickly and is a vital and effective supplement to the day-to-day cleaning our crews do."
CTA says it had completed Refresh & Renew work earlier this year at Addison Red Line, Sox-35th Red Line and 35th-Bronzeville-IIT Green Line ahead the Opening Day games for the Cubs and White Sox seasons. Additional bus and rail locations will receive improvements as part of the 2025 Refresh & Renew campaign during the summer and fall, details of which will be announced at later dates.
To complement Refresh & Renew, the CTA will also be launching its seasonal power washing teams to attack grime collected during the winter months. The CTA notes these separate groups of personnel are dispatched during the overnight hours and are tasked with scrubbing and power washing the station surfaces. Each year between the spring and fall seasons, each of CTA’s 146 rail stations is power washed at least once a month as part of routine station cleaning efforts.
The CTA says it first launched its Refresh & Renew program in 2019 to keep its stations in a state of good repair with routine maintenance that enhances the safety, security and overall look and feel of facilities.
Prior to starting work at a location, CTA says its crews perform an initial and thorough inspection of the location to identify any behind the scenes or customer-facing items that need repair and/or replacement either immediately or in the near term.
Some of the more comprehensive improvements made as part of this program include concrete repairs, removal of outdated fixtures and equipment, repairs to utility and plumbing lines and more. Work also includes smaller cosmetic upgrades such as painting and replacing sheet metal or damaged signage, lighting upgrades, cleaning and repair of surfaces (columns, walls, railings, fencing/gates, platform fixtures, etc.).
