City officials tout reopening of 4 CTA Red Line stations on Chicago’s North Side after major renovations

CHICAGO — After a long wait, four Chicago Transit Authority Red Line stations reopened this weekend in Uptown and Edgewater on the city’s North Side.

The Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr stops reopened Sunday morning after being closed for the past four years while they underwent massive renovations as part of Phase 1 of CTA’s $2 billion Red and Purple Line Modernization Project.

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Red Line riders caught a ceremonial “first ride” on Sunday morning from the Bryn Mawr stop to the Berwyn stop, where the train broke through a special banner, like a runner breaking through the finish-line tape at the end of a long race.

The Red Line is CTA’s busiest line, with about 250,000 riders each weekday, and the four stations that underwent massive renovations are more than 100 years old.

They’re now ADA accessible, and more accessible for all walks of life, with city officials and CTA riders agreeing Monday that the project has been long overdue.

“These four new, inviting stations we celebrate today will serve as centerpieces in the Edgewater and Uptown communities, with attractive designs, stunning (and) unique artwork installed with community input, and easy connections to amazing local businesses,” Nora Leerhsen, acting CTA President, said Monday.

Each of the renovated stations now has elevators and escalators, making them convenient for those who are in wheelchairs, those carrying luggage, and parents who use strollers.

“This is a new era for public transportation,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Thanks to the historic $2.1 billion for the Red and Purple Modernization Program, we have taken infrastructure that was over 100 years old and rebuilt it for the next 100 years.”

Other improvements include quieter tracks with special noise walls — allowing customers to have a conversation underneath the elevated tracks — more lighting, longer and wider canopies on the platforms, 55-inch digital customer information screens, new signage, and security cameras.

All stops connect to the South Side of Chicago, and later this year the newly reconstructed Blue Line station on the Forest Park Branch is also scheduled to reopen.

CTA then plans to begin work on the Red Line extension from 95th Street and the Dan Ryan Expressway to 130th Street. That project is on track to start next year.