Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office announced a $30 million project to improve Purple Line express tracks between the Jarvis and Lawrence stops, which will be the first renovation for that stretch of the rail in more than 40 years. The work includes replacement of track ties, restoration of track alignment and partial replacement of the running rail, and it will reduce the number of slow zones that plague the express route to and from the suburbs.
Construction will begin July 20 and is scheduled to take four months. Work will take place on weeknights and weekends, so impact on service should be minimal.
The project is in conjunction with improvements being made to speed up Brown and Purple Line service between Armitage and Chicago, which is a painfully slow stretch.