CTA Austin Green Line celebrates ribbon cutting

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) recently welcomed Congressman Danny Davis, Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with other dignitaries, to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the fully accessible Austin Green Line station. The $25 million project delivers a fully accessible transit hub for the community— achieving a key milestone in CTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP) and advancing the shared goal of making public transit in Chicago accessible to everyone.

“Public transit is about connecting people to opportunity, and every accessible station brings us one step closer to a Chicago where everyone can travel freely,” said CTA Acting President Leerhsen. “Reaching 75% accessibility—along with recent breaking ground on the historic Red Line Extension—is a huge milestone for our city and the surrounding communities. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s dedication, but we won't stop here. We’re fully committed to working with our partners to secure the funding needed to reach 100% accessibility for every rider over the next decade.

The original street level Austin station opened in 1899 and had not been upgraded since it was rebuilt in 1962. Work included the installation of a new elevator and escalator connecting to the platform; reconstruction of the outside station stairs and a new ADA compliant ramp to enter the station; plus, other station enhancements. During construction, riders were able to access rail services using the station’s auxiliary entrance.

The Austin station serves as a regional transit hub, providing connections to the #91 Austin route, as well as three Pace bus routes (#309, #313 and #315), which connect to several Metra stations and popular destinations including Midway Airport.

Funding for this critical infrastructure project was sourced through the federal government’s Surface Transportation Program (STP) and Governor Pritzker’s Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan.  STP provided $20.3M in funding and Rebuild Illinois provided $5.3M for a total budget of $25.6M.

CTA’s ASAP Strategic Plan was released in 2018 and serves as a blueprint for making all rail stations fully accessible by 2038. With the opening of the Austin station, 110 of CTA’s 146 rail stations (75%) are accessible to those who use mobility devices. Austin is among the 14 stations recently opened or currently funded and in various stages of planning, design or construction to become fully accessible.