UPTOWN — The years-long, multibillion-dollar rebuild of the Red and Purple lines on the Far North Side is entering a new phase as new temporary stations open Friday night and rail and bus service changes.
Construction crews recently finished the demolition and rebuilding of the northbound “L” tracks between Lawrence and Bryn Mawr stations, work that began in 2021 as part of the CTA’s $2.1 billion Red-Purple Modernization project in Uptown and Edgewater.
The newly completed northbound tracks of the Red and Purple lines went into service Friday, according to the CTA.
With that work finished, crews will now turn to rebuilding the southbound track infrastructure that was used to provide rail service during the northbound work. That portion of the project — the final major stage of construction — will begin 10 p.m. Friday.
New temporary stations will go into service at that time. That includes a new Argyle temporary station with entrances on Foster Avenue and Winona Street.
The new Bryn Mawr temporary station will only service southbound trains starting Friday because there is no room for a platform to service northbound trains, the CTA said in a service alert to neighbors.
Customers looking to travel north from Bryn Mawr can access the Argyle stop on Foster Avenue and board a northbound train or use the Thorndale station, CTA said.
The Lawrence and Berwyn stations, demolished and closed during the first phase of construction, will remain closed during the second phase.
Bus service will also be changed due to the new phase of construction.
The 92 Foster Avenue bus will resume its normal, pre-construction route and will no longer reroute via Bryn Mawr avenue. The bus will make stops at the Argyle Red Line station now accessible via Foster Avenue.
The 84 Peterson bus will be rerouted to connect with the new Bryn Mawr temporary station and Thorndale station.
A new crop of temporary street, alley and sidewalk closures will also take place due to the shift in construction.
For a full list of construction impacts, click here.
The new phase of construction will include tearing down and rebuilding of the century-old southbound track infrastructure plus building all new, fully accessible stations at Lawrence, Argyle, Berwyn and Bryn Mawr.
The final stage of work will be completed by contractor Walsh-Fluor in 2025, when the southbound tracks and new stations open to the public, according to CTA.
Once completed, the newly rebuilt Red and Purple line will include a mile-long “community space” under the tracks. That’s because the new rail infrastructure does not need the large embankment walls that bordered the old track system.
After work is done on the Lawrence-Bryn Mawr modernization, the CTA will turn its attention to rebuilding the tracks north of Bryn Mawr up to the Howard station.
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