$350 million proposed for long-awaited Red Line extension

President Joe Biden's proposed 2024 fiscal year budget includes $350 million for the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) extension of the Red Line on the South Side, a project that will benefit many underserved neighborhoods. The 5.6-mile extension plan includes four new stations and has been in city plans for decades. 

The proposed extension is noteworthy because it would be Chicago's first rail transit expansion in the past three decades. Tens of thousands of low-income Chicago residents rely upon the Red Line as their only mode of transportation. 

Senator Durbin believes the proposed extension will provide much-needed relief to the South Side community and improve Chicago's infrastructure, creating better opportunities for Chicagoans to connect with jobs, education, commerce, and prosperity. The proposal will likely face resistance from Congress, but Biden's initial budget demonstrates his administration's support for the project and creates a pathway for the expansion to become a reality.

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