Purple Line Track Work Begins in May

Purple Line riders can expect minor delays in service beginning this spring as the Chicago Transit Authority begins a project to reduce “slow zones” on the elevated line. 

Construction work begins in May and is expected to last seven months, according to a press release from the city. Crews will be replacing more than 6,000 old track ties so that trains can go faster in the first major upgrade to the railroad ties since 1976. 

Replacement work will begin in south Evanston and continue north to the Purple Line terminus in Wilmette, according to the press release.

Night work will take place between 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, with weekend work running from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Crews will light the tracks for safety at night, and residents can expect to hear some noise. 

“The noise level will be similar to what residents experienced during heavy road work with the loudest noises occurring when the production spiker drives new spikes into place, similar in noise level to a jackhammer,” according to the release. 

For more information, see these resources:

• CTA project schedule
• City of Evanston news on the project
• CTA presentation on slow zone remediation
• CTA long-term planning on Red, Purple lines