Would Far South Siders Be Willing To Swap The Long Awaited Red Line Extension For A Cheaper Quicker Solution

Thanks to Donald Trump, the funding outlook for the long-awaited $2.3 billion Red Line extension—proposed and postponed since the Nixon administration—looks pretty bleak right now.

To find out, I rode the train to 95th and traced the path of the proposed extension, buttonholing neighbors near the planned station locations.

After 111th, the Red Line would continue to hug the Union Pacific line as the railroad turns southeast and climbs an embankment to an overpass near 116th and Michigan. There I met Anthony Brown, 34, who lives near 115th and State and serves as a Safe Passage worker for Curtis Elementary, which is right by his home. On February 13 the CTA held an open house about the extension at nearby Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep. He said his neighbors and coworkers are looking forward to getting a Red Line stop nearby.

Although the Metra solution would give him inexpensive, frequent train access, he favors the Red Line extension. “[The Electric conversion] would be a good idea too, but it wouldn’t create as many construction jobs,” he said.