Modernizing Chicago’s Red and Purple lines 

Advancing corridor-scale transit modernization  

Chicago’s Red and Purple lines are the busiest and oldest rail corridor in the city, with infrastructure dating back to 1900. To address this, CTA made its largest capital investment, the Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM), to expand the capacity and improve long-term reliability along the 9.6-nile corridor within different phases. To assist CTA in obtaining federal Core Capacity grants, the CWC Transit Group (CDM Smith, Jacobs Engineering, Wight & Company) delivered two NEPA analyses and conceptual engineering. FTA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact in late 2015 after an accelerated 18-month schedule, enabling CTA to move the project forward and apply for further federal funding.