CHICAGO (CBS) – CTA Brown Line riders may need to allow extra time for their trips over the next few weeks.
According to the Chicago Transit Authority, Kimball-bound trains will not stop at the busy Western Avenue stop at the corner of Western and Leland avenues in Lincoln Square as a $20 million renovation project begins there.
The service change began last Friday and will last until at least Friday, September 20th.
Trains heading towards the Loop will continue to stop at Westbahnhof.
Anyone who would normally get off a train to Kimball at Western should instead get off at Rockwell and transfer to a train to Loop.
Those who want to board a train to Kimball at Western should instead board a train to Loop at Western Station, get off at Damen, and return.
Chicago Transit Authority
The station renovation project includes new ADA-accessible doors at the main entrance on Western Avenue, among other things. Crews are also working on painting the track structure, making platform repairs and replacing the roof.
Also planned are a new bus stop and a shelter for those using the bus turnaround area in front of the station. The sidewalks on Western Avenue in front of the station will also be replaced and lighting on the walkway between the station and Lincoln Avenue will be improved.
The modernized interior will also feature new accent lighting to highlight a piece of the Berlin Wall on display in the station, which is located in a historically German-American neighborhood. Floors and interior walls will be redone, and elevator cabs and stair treads and risers will be replaced, the CTA said.
In addition to changes such as those currently in place for rail commuters, temporary relocations of stops are also to be expected.
The Western Brown Line station will serve 700,000 rides in 2023 and is connected to bus routes 11 Lincoln, 49 Western, 49B North Western, X49 Western Express and 81 Lawrence, according to the CTA.
Western Station opened in the early 1900s as the first stop on the Ravenswood Branch – the old name of the Brown Line. It was rebuilt in 1920 and extensively renovated between 1979 and 1981 to make it accessible to people with disabilities, the CTA said.
