Design Contract Awarded for the Forest Park Branch

Published: November 4, 2026

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Board on October 27 approved a contract for the remaining track design on the Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line, from the Illinois Medical District station to the I-290 Bridge. The Chicago Transit Authority announced the vote on November 2. The summary on the release calls it a $17 million contract for about 13 miles of design work.

The various phases of the Forest Park rebuild project, which has been ongoing since 2023. Source CTA.

About 13 miles of design

The authority called the vote the start of the next phase of the Forest Park Branch Rebuild, a program to reconstruct the entire branch and make it 100 percent accessible to people who use mobility devices. More than 80 percent of the branch is now a “slow zone,” so trains run at sharply reduced speed.

The contract is to be awarded to AECOM Technical Services. It covers about 70,000 track feet, or about 13 miles, between the Illinois Medical District station and the I-290 Bridge. The release places that bridge just east of River Road, to the east of the Forest Park station. The work includes a field investigation of the corridor and design for new and upgraded track, signals, traction power, drainage, utilities, and any other facilities in the CTA right-of-way. It also includes a review of drainage along the shoulders of the I-290 expressway and of how that drainage affects rail service.

AECOM partnered with three local disadvantaged-business firms that account for more than 15 percent of the contract: DB Sterling Consultants, Facet Engineering, and GSG Consultants. Funding comes in part from a $15.8 million grant under the Federal Highway Administration Carbon Reduction Grant Program. The Illinois Department of Transportation applied on CTA’s behalf. The two agencies authorized an intergovernmental agreement to transfer the money in July.

“I know how much fast, reliable rail service means for the people and communities we serve,” said CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen. “This contract is an investment that will build on the improvements we’ve already delivered and moves us closer to our goal of a modernized and accessible Blue Line. We are excited to move forward in our work to strengthen this vital connection between Chicago and the western suburbs.”

Work already done, and a gap in this contract

The release says the first phase kicked off in 2023. That phase covered track and drainage renewal between UIC-Halsted and the Illinois Medical District, and a full modernization and accessibility rebuild of the Racine station. Later in the same release, the authority says the first phase was completed in 2023 and featured a $268 million rebuild of three miles of track between the Illinois Medical District and LaSalle Station downtown.

A two-mile stretch from Kedzie Avenue to Keeler Avenue is outside this design contract. Design of that stretch is already finished. Construction there is expected to begin in 2027, with federal funds from the Reconnecting Communities Program.

The expressway and the branch together

CTA is a lead agency, with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Illinois Department of Transportation, on the Connect 290 Blue Program. That program was established in 2024 to coordinate funding and rebuilding of the I-290 Eisenhower Expressway and the Forest Park Branch. The release says more than 4 million transit riders travel through the corridor each year, and that the expressway is one of the most congested in the United States.

“Rebuilding the Forest Park Branch isn’t just about upgrading tracks. It’s about providing faster, more reliable and accessible service for the people who depend on the Blue Line every day,” said Erin Aleman, executive director of the planning agency. “The I-290 and Blue Line corridor is among the priority investments the region identified in its recently adopted 2026 Regional Transportation Plan. This design milestone is an important step toward realizing that vision and reflects the sustained collaboration among CTA, IDOT, and CMAP needed to deliver meaningful improvements for northeastern Illinois.”

Much of the branch is still the original 1958 construction, from the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. The authority says routine maintenance and modest improvements have not kept the plant inside its useful life.

Sources

Chicago Transit Authority, “CTA Awards Contract for Track Design Work on Forest Park Branch of Blue Line to Increase Service Speed and Reliability,” November 2, 2026. Chicago Transit Board approval on October 27. Summary: $17 million contract for a 13-mile segment from the Illinois Medical District Station to the I-290 Bridge. Remaining track design. Forest Park Branch Rebuild, entire branch, 100 percent accessible. More than 80 percent of the branch in a slow zone. First phase kicked off in 2023 between UIC-Halsted and the Illinois Medical District, with a Racine station accessibility rebuild. Later: first phase completed in 2023, a $268 million rebuild of three miles between the Illinois Medical District and LaSalle Station. AECOM Technical Services. About 70,000 track feet, or about 13 miles. Bridge located just east of River Road to the east of the Forest Park station. Field investigation and design for track, signals, traction power, drainage, utilities, and other right-of-way facilities. I-290 shoulder drainage review. DB Sterling Consultants, Facet Engineering, and GSG Consultants, more than 15 percent. Funding in part from a $15.8 million Federal Highway Administration Carbon Reduction Grant Program award. Illinois Department of Transportation applied. Intergovernmental agreement authorized in July. Kedzie Avenue to Keeler Avenue excluded, design complete, construction expected in 2027 with Reconnecting Communities Program funds. Connect 290 Blue Program, established in 2024, with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and the Illinois Department of Transportation. More than 4 million transit riders a year. Quotes from Nora Leerhsen and Erin Aleman. Much of the plant dates to 1958.

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Design Contract Awarded for the Forest Park Branch

About 13 miles of design

Work already done, and a gap in this contract

The expressway and the branch together

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Sources