CTA has ‘no plans’ to extend Green Line to Jackson Park

With plans for the upcoming Obama Presidential Center and multimillion dollar makeover of the Jackson Park Golf Course underway, it would seem that there’s no better time to add CTA ‘L’ service to the South Side park than now. At least that’s what some residents of the South Shore, Woodlawn, and Washington Park areas have been asking for in recent weeks.

However, despite a recent push from South Side residents to have the CTA restore Green Line service along 63rd Street, the CTA has indicated that it won’t happen anytime soon. At the same City Club of Chicago luncheon where CDOT reps confirmed the continued testing and progress on Ventra and Divvy integration, CTA President Dorval Carter Jr. told the audience during the question and answer segment that there are currently “no plans” to extend service to Jackson Park, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

“I regret to tell you there are no plans at this time to extend the 63rd Street line to Stony Island,” the Sun-Times reports Carter telling the crowd. According to Carter, funding challenges—particularly at the federal level—means that the project is not one that the CTA can take on.

However, despite Carter’s statement regarding funding challenges, the CTA is planning big things for the Green Line. The Garfield station which services the the Washington Park community is set for a major overhaul starting next year, meanwhile, the city plans to add an entirely new station at Damen and Lake to service the Kinzie Industrial Corridor and United Center.

While the news may come as a disappointment for those looking for rapid transit to Jackson Park, the push is likely to continue at the Obama Presidential Center plan approaches final approval and its eventual construction. As of this week, a petition asking the city to restore Green Line service along 63rd Street to Jackson Park has 725 signatures.

• City working on Ventra-Divvy integration [Chicago Sun-Times]
• Should the Green Line be extended to the future Obama Presidential Center? [Curbed Chicago]
• New Green Line station planned for Damen and Lake [Curbed Chicago]
• Garfield Green Line station to receive major overhaul [Curbed Chicago]