Illinois DOT helps secure federal funds for CTA branch rebuild

The Chicago Transit Board recently authorized an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) regarding a funding transfer to support the design of future trackwork along a significant portion of the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Forest Park Branch. 

IDOT applied for federal funding on the CTA's behalf and secured a $15.8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration. 

The CTA is planning a multiyear, multi-phased Forest Park Branch rebuild project that involves reconstructing the entire branch line and making it accessible to those who use mobility devices. The agreement will provide the authority the necessary funding to advance the $28.2 million design phase of future trackwork between the Illinois Medical District and Forest Park stations on the Blue Line. 

"As part of this future project work, which has not yet been funded, crews would completely remove more than 13 miles of existing track and underlying infrastructure and replace it with new materials and a new underlying drainage system," CTA officials said in a press release. 

Design work is expected to begin in late 2026. A construction timeline would be determined after the design work is completed, CTA officials said, adding that the authority plans to continue working on securing the necessary funding for the project. 

For decades, a portion of the Blue Line corridor has been plagued by flooding, which has resulted in reoccurring slow zones along the Forest Park Branch, they said. The rebuild project calls for revamping seven stations, replacing the entire trackbed and drainage system, and upgrading the traction power system.