Improvements at 44 CTA bus turnarounds and rail stations on track to be complete by end of 2025
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced on Aug. 5 that more than 20 rail stations and bus turnarounds had seen refurbishments this year as part of the agency’s facility improvement program Refresh & Renew. Additionally, two dozen more locations in the system are scheduled to receive refurbishment before the year’s end.
“I am always so pleased when I hear riders say, ‘this is my station’ or ‘this is my bus stop’—people take ownership and pride in their touchpoint to transit,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “The Refresh and Renew program is an investment that shows that we join them in taking pride in our shared spaces."
Since the spring, crews have been performing an estimated $6.5 million in repairs and maintenance at the following rail and bus locations across the CTA service region:
- Red Line: Addison, Sox-35th, Belmont, 47th, Garfield, 63rd, 69th
- Brown Line: Rockwell, Damen
- Blue Line: Pulaski, Austin, Kedzie-Homan,
- Green Line: 35th/Bronzeville, Oak Park, Halsted
- Pink Line: Damen, Polk
- Bus Turnarounds: Kedzie & 63rd, Western & 79th, Chicago & Austin, 67th & Oglesby, Halsted St. & Waveland Ave., 55th St. & St. Louis, Congress & Financial Pl., Pulaski Rd. & 104th St.
By the end of the 2025, work will be completed at additional rail stations and bus turnarounds, including:
- Blue Line: Western (O’Hare), Grand
- Red Line: Harrison, 79th, 95th, Jarvis, Morse
- Brown Line: Kimball
- Green Line: 43rd
- Orange Line: Kedzie
- Pink Line: 18th
- Purple Line: Noyes
- Bus Turnarounds: Damen Ave. & 87th St., Kedzie Ave. & 36th St., Clark St. & Arthur Ave., Wilson Ave. & Ravenswood Ave., Belmont Ave. & Halsted St., Devon Ave. & Kedzie Ave., Division & Austin
To complement Refresh & Renew, CTA also deploys power washing teams to attack grime collected during the winter months. This separate group of personnel is dispatched during the overnight hours and is tasked with scrubbing and power washing the surfaces of CTA’s stations. Each year between the spring and fall seasons, each of CTA’s 146 rail stations is power washed at least once a month as part of routine station cleaning efforts.
Created in 2019, CTA notes Refresh & Renew is intended to keep its stations in a stae-of-good-repair with routine maintenance that enhances the safety, security and overall look and feel of facilities.
Prior to starting work at a location, crews perform an initial and thorough inspection of the location to identify any behind-the-scenes or customer-facing items that need repair and/or replacement—either immediately or in the near-term.
Some of the more comprehensive improvements made as part of this program include concrete repairs, removal of outdated fixtures and equipment, repairs to utility and plumbing lines and more. Work also includes smaller cosmetic upgrades such as painting and replacing sheet metal or damaged signage, lighting upgrades, cleaning, repair of surfaces (e.g., columns, walls, railings, fencing/gates and platform fixtures) and power washing.
For more information on the Refresh & Renew project, visit CTA’s website.