- Credibility:
LOGAN SQUARE — Blue Line trains will be back up and running this weekend after weeks of disrupted service and station closures.
The CTA suspended weekend service between the Addison and Western Blue Line stations beginning in late February to replace the old Belmont crossover, which had fallen into disrepair since it was built in the ’70s, officials said.
Riders had to take shuttles for eight weekends, which snarled travel to busy O’Hare Airport. Some bus stops were also moved to allow for construction.
Earlier this week, crews finished the track work, marking the end of the months-long improvement project, CTA spokeswoman Maddie Kilgannon said.
With the new Belmont crossover in place, normal weekend service will resume Friday, CTA officials said.
Credit: CTACrossovers allow the CTA to move trains between different sets of tracks for maintenance.
The Belmont crossover was 50 years old and needed to be replaced, officials said. Work was limited to the weekends between 10 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Monday.
“The weekend line cuts from the end of February until this past weekend allowed crews to quickly replace the 50-year-old tracks, while also isolating the construction-related service disruption to the weekend,” Kilgannon said.
The track work is just one part of a larger plan to provide better service on the O’Hare branch, one of the busiest in the transit system, CTA officials have said.
The CTA is also adding more trips between the O’Hare and UIC-Halsted stations to ensure there are enough trains on the busiest section of the line, beefing up rush-hour staffing and making more frequent platform announcements.
Staffing shortages and other challenges have plagued the CTA during the pandemic, leading to unreliable bus and train service across the system.
For alerts and travel information, visit the CTA’s website.
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