Chicago Sets Goal to Make its Rail System 100 Percent Accessible


Photo by Daniel Schwen
Photo by Daniel Schwen

On Jan. 7, Chicago Transit Authority announced an ambitious new initiative to make 100 percent of its rail system accessible within 20 years. Part of the CTA Strategic Accessibility Program will be fixing or replacing broken elevators and lifts within the nation’s second largest transit agency. This new initiative is an outcome of the CTA’s 2010 Infrastructure Accessibility Task Force, which completed a report in 2012 identifying high-priority stations where CTA could make improvements.

“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in the last 25 years, which has only been possible thanks to the strong commitment from Mayor Emanuel and the City of Chicago, as well as the involvement of the disability-rights community,” said CTA President Dorval Carter. “We do, however, recognize there is still more work to do and the creation of this new program will help map out a path for CTA to deliver on this commitment two decades from now.”

Currently, nearly 70 percent of CTA’s 145 rail stations are wheelchair accessible, and 46 of its stations are not equipped with elevators. To reach its goal of 100 percent accessibility, CTA has pulled together a working group consisting of key city officials, people with disabilities and architects who are charged with outlining a cost estimate and schedule for making all of the stations accessible.

There will be short-term and long-term elements to the plan, which CTA says will ultimately be dependent upon available funding. In the meantime CTA says to expect improvements to the following stations over the next few years:

  • Wilson Station Reconstruction project
  • Red and Purple Modernization project
  • Your New Blue project to improve the Blue Line O’Hare Branch
  • Blue Line Vision Study for the Blue Line Forest Park branch
  • New Washington/Wabash station on Loop ‘L’
  • Retrofitting the historic Quincy Loop ‘L’ station with new elevators and other ADA compliant features.


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