Fard Muhammad, of Evanston, is preparing for stop-and-go traffic Monday morning on his ride to work—not on the roads to his Loop job, but on the CTA tracks.
Muhammad, who takes the Purple Line Express from Evanston into the Loop in the mornings to his computer programming job, could have a commute that’s four to six minutes longer starting Monday.
That’s when the CTA will begin rerouting southbound Purple Line Express trains onto Red Line tracks on the North Side and forcing Purple Line Express trains to make three new stops on their way to the Loop over the next year amid trackwork near the Wilson Red Line stop, which is undergoing renovation.
Purple Line Express riders likely will see the lengthiest delays, but Red Line riders who travel from the North Side to the Loop in the mornings could see two- to four-minute delays, CTA spokesman Brian Steele said. Northbound Purple Line Express and Red Line service will not be affected during this phase of the project and the Wilson stop will remain open during construction, Steele said.
Though Muhammad has a car, he said he plans to budget extra time for the train reroutes.
“Driving would be too expensive at this point—especially with parking. I’ll stick with the Purple [Line] and just anticipate longer travel times,” said Muhammad, 35.
Some North Side and suburban riders like Muhammad are bracing for commuting headaches over the next year as the CTA demolishes and reconstructs the southbound Purple Line Express track next to Uptown’s Wilson stop, which is being rebuilt as a permanent transfer point for the Purple Line Express in a $203 million project.
Purple Line Express trains, which typically operate nonstop between the Howard stop in Rogers Park and the Belmont stop in Lakeview during morning and evening rush hours, will be rerouted onto Red Line tracks for about 2 miles between the Lawrence Red Line stop in Uptown and the Belmont stop until spring of 2016.
Because they are operating on Red Line tracks, Purple Line Express trains will stop at the Sheridan, Wilson and Addison Red Line stations on the North Side.
“We are encouraging customers, especially the first couple days of the project, to allow extra time in their commute,” Steele said.
The Wilson project, which is being paid for with local, state and federal funds, began in the fall and is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. As part of this project, the CTA will add elevators to make the stop accessible for wheelchair riders.
Besides the Wilson project, other headaches may await CTA riders once they’re in the Loop.
As the CTA works on the Wilson stop on the North Side, the city on Monday will begin work on two major construction projects in the Loop that could bring delays for bus riders and a commuting change for rail riders who use the Madison/Wabash stop in the Loop.
Starting March 16, the city will be closing traffic lanes on westbound Madison Street at Wabash Avenue and on southbound Clinton Street at Randolph Street as it begins work on its new $32 million Loop Link express bus system, which is expected to reduce commute time for six CTA bus routes that serve the Loop.
Also March 16, the city will close permanently the Madison/Wabash stop in the Loop that serves the Purple Line Express and Pink, Orange, Green and Brown Line trains. The city is building a $75 million Washington/Wabash station that will be a combination of the Madison/Wabash stop and the Randolph/Wabash stop.
Those who normally use the Madison/Wabash stop can walk two blocks north or south to catch Loop trains during construction, which is expected to last 18 months.
