One Week Left to Speak Up on Possible Purple Line Changes

Evanston residents have only one week left to contact the Chicago Transit Authority and communicate their views on the future of the Purple Line.

The City of Evanston sent out a reminder and press release Friday, urging Evanstonians to speak up before the Feb. 18 deadline regarding proposed improvements and alterations to the city’s “El” line under the CTA’s “North Red and Purple Modernization Project.”

The project aims to improve tracks, stations and service from the Belmont to Linden stops, but some of the six proposed alternatives involve station closings and the cancellation of Purple Line express trains.

On Jan. 28, in a federally mandated forum to .

Matt Swentkofske, intergovernmental affairs coordinator for the City of Evanston, said he has been analyzing and evaluating the costs and benefits of the different proposals but believes that ultimately, Evanston residents will have the most say in what happens.

 “The city council and the mayor want to make sure everyone has the ability to contribute a comment to CTA, and CTA wants that same thing,” Swentkofske said.

According to the CTA website, all proposed improvements remain “subject to the availability of funding.”

Residents can contact the CTA via mail, e-mail or fax. Contact information is available on the City of Evanston website.

The proposed alternatives are as follows:

No Action Alternative

• Absolute minimum repairs required to keep the Red and Purple Lines functional
• Travel patterns would remain the same
• No American with Disability Act (ADA) upgrades to the stations (no construction of elevators or ramps to improve wheel chair access)

Basic Rehabilitation Alternative

• Proposed upgrades and repairs would bring “adequate service for the next 20 years”
• Upgrades to accommodate minimum ADA requirements
• Only one station would be renovated to accommodate 8-car trains
• Viaducts and stations would not be brought up to modern standards

Basic Rehabilitation with Transfer Station

• Includes all of the elements of the Basic Rehabilitation Alternative
• Possible expanded hours for express service

Modernization 4 Track Alternative

• Provide modern amenities at stations and extend the useful life of the system for the next 60-80 years
• Increase train speed and reliability
• Stations renovated to meet modern standards for accessibility and safety, including modern platform width
• All stations altered to accommodate 8 car trains instead of current 6 car trains
• Complete ADA accessibility
• Consolidate stops through possible elimination of South Boulevard and Foster Street stations
• Providing additional station access points, including adding a Washington entrance to Main station, a Gaffield entrance to Noyes station and a Church entrance to Davis station
• Express service to/from Loop to Howard could be expanded due to upgrades on Red Line

Modernization 3 Track Alternative

• Includes all of the elements of the Modernization 4 Track Alternative
• Express service would be offered inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening, but no reverse commute express service would be provided.

Modernization 2 Track Underground Alternative

• Includes all of the elements of the Modernization 4 Track Alternative
• No inbound or outbound express service at any time
• Increase frequency of service in both directions