Commuters heading toward the Near West Side and the Illinois Medical District will need to prepare as some CTA Blue Line stations will temporarily close for rebuilding.
Beginning 3 a.m. Sunday, the CTA will begin the first phase of the Forest Park Branch rebuild that will help eliminate service delays on Blue Line trains and improve accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Clinton, UIC-Halsted and Racine stations will be closed until late August, CTA officials said.
Trains will still run from O’Hare International Airport to La Salle, and from Forest Park east to the Illinois Medical District station.
To help reduce some of the impact, the CTA will add train cars to the Green Line — which runs parallel to the Blue Line, about a mile to the north, westbound to Harlem.
During this time, fares on the Pink and Green lines will be cut in half, said CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski. Free bus rides will be available on all route stops between the Green and Pink lines from Ashland to Austin.
A bus shuttle will run around the clock between the impacted Blue Line stops and an express shuttle between Jackson and the Illinois Medical District stations will be available during rush hours in the morning and evening.
“We are taking every step to keep customers informed on the project and the impacts to service that may happen,” Hosinki said.
Hosinski said customers should plan ahead and consider preparing by testing alternative routes before the project starts.
