Blue Line riders heading to and from Forest Park and Oak Park could eventually see faster, more reliable trains after the Chicago Transit Authority awarded a $17 million design contract for the line's aging Forest Park branch.
The Chicago Transit Board approved the contract at its Oct. 27 meeting, awarding AECOM Technical Services the work. The scope covers about 70,000 track feet, or roughly 13 miles, stretching from the Illinois Medical District (IMD) station to the I-290 Bridge just east of River Road, east of the Forest Park station.
More than 80% of the Forest Park branch is classified as a "slow zone," where trains must operate at reduced speeds for safety. Much of the branch's infrastructure dates to 1958.
A $15.8 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Carbon Reduction Grant Program funds most of the contract, the Wednesday Journal reported. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) applied for the grant on CTA's behalf. The two agencies authorized an intergovernmental agreement to transfer the funding in July.
AECOM's work will include a field investigation of the entire corridor and design for new and upgraded track, signals, traction power, drainage and utilities within the CTA right-of-way. The contract also calls for a review of drainage along the I-290 expressway shoulders and how it affects rail service. The Wednesday Journal reported that design work is expected to begin by the end of 2026. No construction timeline has been set.
"I know how much fast, reliable rail service means for the people and communities we serve," CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said in a statement. "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."
The contract is part of the broader Forest Park Branch Rebuild Project, a multi-year effort to reconstruct the entire branch and make it fully accessible to riders who use mobility devices. As of 2025, only five of the branch's 11 stations were vertically accessible, according to the CTA's project page.
The first phase of the rebuild wrapped up in 2023 with a $268 million reconstruction of three miles of track between the IMD and LaSalle stations downtown. A separate two-mile stretch between Kedzie Avenue and Keeler Avenue, not included in the new AECOM contract, already has completed design work. Construction on that segment is expected to begin in 2027.
On the longer timeline, CTA plans to make the Western, Pulaski, Cicero, Austin, Oak Park and Harlem stations fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Forest Park Review reported in July.
The rebuild falls under the Connect 290 Blue Program, a 2024 partnership among CTA, IDOT and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to coordinate funding for rebuilding both I-290 and the Blue Line's Forest Park branch. More than 4 million transit riders travel through the corridor each year, according to the CTA.
AECOM partnered with three local disadvantaged business enterprise firms on the contract: DB Sterling Consultants, Facet Engineering and GSG Consultants. Those firms account for more than 15% of the contract value.
